Advancing Maternal and Child Brain Health: Healthy Beginnings and Hopeful Futures

Every year, World Health Day shines a spotlight on essential health priorities. In 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) selected the theme "Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures" to emphasize the importance of maternal and newborn health. At Neuroelectrics, we are proud to contribute to this mission by providing cutting-edge technology that helps researchers and clinicians better understand and support child brain health from the very start.

The Role of Neurotechnology in  Early Life

The early years of life are a critical period for brain development, with rapid and transformative changes laying the foundation for cognitive, emotional, and sensory growth. Factors such as maternal nutrition, access to healthcare, and prenatal care profoundly influence child brain health. 

Non-invasive brain monitoring and stimulation technologies are proving to be invaluable tools in studying and supporting early developmental processes. Systems like Enobio have enabled researchers to reliably measure brain activity in infants and children, including in remote or resource-limited settings.

Pregnancy Interventions and Their Impact on Child Brain Health

A recent study conducted in Ethiopia provides a compelling example of how non-invasive brain monitoring technologies are advancing research into early childhood development and child brain health. Researchers investigated how maternal nutrition and infection treatments impact brain health, using EEG and visual evoked potentials (VEP) recordings from 240 children to assess neural oscillations and visual processing.

During resting EEG, children watched a short video to capture baseline brain activity, while a pattern-reversal checkerboard was used for the VEP recordings. These methods allowed the research team to gather valuable neurodevelopmental data in a population often underrepresented in neuroscience research.

In addition to the valuable neurodevelopmental data gathered it is inspiring to note that 2,399 women were enrolled in this study. This remarkable participation highlights a strong commitment to supporting healthy pregnancies, safer births, and better postnatal health. Together, these findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how early-life care—starting from pregnancy—can shape the cognitive and neural trajectories of children.

Read the full study here: BMJ Paediatrics Open

A Shared Vision for Global Health

As we reflect on the WHO’s call to action, we see a clear alignment between this year’s theme and our mission at Neuroelectrics: to restore brain health and improve quality of life through science and technology. By equipping researchers and clinicians with advanced tools like Enobio, we enable data-driven decisions that can improve maternal and child brain health outcomes around the world.

From urban hospitals to rural clinics, our neurotechnology empowers global health initiatives with accurate, portable, and user-friendly brain monitoring solutions. We believe that every child deserves a healthy beginning—and that science can pave the way to a hopeful future.

Join the Movement

On this World Health Day, we invite you to explore how neurotechnology can play a pivotal role in early childhood development. Whether you are a researcher, clinician, policymaker, or advocate, we encourage collaboration to ensure healthier beginnings for generations to come.

Let’s shape a world where every child’s brain has the opportunity to thrive through stronger investments in child brain health.

References:

• Workneh F, Chin TI, Yibeltal K, Fasil N, North K, Jensen SKG, et al. Impact of maternal antenatal nutrition and infection treatment interventions on Longitudinal Infant Development and Growth in rural Ethiopia: protocol of the LIDG child follow-up study. BMJ Paediatrics Open 2024;8:e002840. Published online December 24, 2024. doi:10.1136/bmjpo-2024-002840

• World Health Organization - World Health Day 2025: Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures