BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Neurological disorders constitute a significant portion of the global disease burden, affecting >30% of the world's population. This prevalence poses a substantial threat to global health in the foreseeable future. A lack of awareness regarding this high burden of neurological diseases has led to their underrecognition, underappreciation, and insufficient funding. Establishing a strategic and comprehensive research agenda for brain-related studies is a crucial step towards aligning research objectives among all pertinent stakeholders and fostering greater societal awareness. METHODS: A scoping literature review was undertaken by a working group from the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) to identify any existing research agendas relevant to neurology. Additionally, a specialized survey was conducted among all EAN scientific panels, including neurologists and patients, inquiring about their perspectives on the current research priorities and gaps in neurology. RESULTS: The review revealed the absence of a unified, overarching brain research agenda. Existing research agendas predominantly focus on specialized topics within neurology, resulting in an imbalance in the number of agendas across subspecialties. The survey indicated a prioritization of neurological disorders and research gaps. CONCLUSIONS: Building upon the findings from the review and survey, key components for a strategic and comprehensive neurological research agenda in Europe were delineated. This research agenda serves as a valuable prioritization tool for neuroscientific researchers, as well as for clinicians, donors, and funding agencies in the field of neurology. It offers essential guidance for creating a roadmap for research and clinical advancement, ultimately leading to heightened awareness and reduced burden of neurological disorders.

1st Department of Neurology St Anne's University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University Brno Czechia

Brain and Mind Research Central European Institute of Technology Masaryk University Brno Czechia

Centre for Biomedical Education and Research Witten Herdecke University Witten Germany

Centre for Narcolepsy and Hypersomnolence Disorders Professorship for Narcolepsy and Hypersomnolence Research Department of Medicine Witten Herdecke University Witten Germany

Department of Neurology and 4Brain Ghent University Hospital Ghent Belgium

Department of Neurology and Comprehensive Centre of Clinical Neurosciences and Mental Health Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria

Department of Neurology Inselspital University of Bern Bern Switzerland

Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics University of Liverpool Liverpool UK

Department of Psychiatry Neurology and Neurological Rehabilitation of CHU Grenoble France

Discipline of Occupational Therapy School of Health Sciences National University of Ireland Galway Ireland

Eindhoven University of Technology Eindhoven the Netherlands

ERN NMD Centre for Neuromuscular Disorders of Messina Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine University of Messina Messina Italy

European Academy of Neurology Vienna Austria

Neurology Public Health Disability Unit and Coma Research Centre Fondazione IRCCS Instituto Neurologico C Besta Milan Italy

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