Sustainable Development, EU-FP7-HEALTH and Neuroeconomic Management

Background: The present international measures of democratic policies towards the ecological crisis as formalised in the Kyoto Protocol are evaluated as quite insufficient to deal with the core of the problem as indicated by i.e. the comprehensive studies related to our Symposia in Baden-Baden as well as the UNEP/IPCC-simulations. On this background a bottom-up strategy to improve social management/organisation is developed. This strategy is based on new medical scanning technologies as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) which has enabled the detection of the neural correlates to ordinary decision making in a new interdisciplinary field termed neuroeconomics. This line of research has revealed the voluntary integration of the limbic and neocortical subdivisions of the brain as crucial to human decision making. Test field: A fairly large segment of modern societies demanding the utmost interdisciplinary coordination to produce significant results is the cross sector rehabilitation of chronic conditions i.e. stroke patients. Supported by the EU-FP7-HEALTH-Programme an international research project between seven EU-members has been established to verify the practical rehabilitation benefits from systematic improvement of the limbic and neocortical subdivisions of the brain. The project is running 2009-2011. Expected results: It is hypothesized that a systematic improvement of cortical integration by home instead of hospital rehabilitation in patients disabled in average daily life (ADL) i.e. by stroke, heart failure or COPD is a dominant intervention as the long-term economic benefits surmounts the costs. Conclusion: In case of a positive outcome of the EU-FP7-Homecare project for rehabilitation patients a more general strategy for improved management towards sustainable development by neuroeconomic coaching is outlined in the discussion. Introduction A new interdisciplinary field between behavioural economics and neuroscience is emerging as neuroeconomics. This research field uses often functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) which enables the detection of the neural correlates to ordinary decision-making. A neuroeconomic model explains the core of decision-making as the integration of preferences arising from the level of the limbic system (L) with cognition as processed in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) [Larsen, 2008]. The new research framework programme of the European Union gives priority to health issues (EUFP7-HEALTH). One of more broad health issues are the improvement of the efficiency of delivery of health care to the citizens. A specific topic is continuity of care in the interface between hospitals and social services. Within this topic integrated home care is a dominant intervention which combines improved effectiveness of rehabilitation with economic savings for society [Larsen, 2006]. The effect of integrated home care is explained by better integration of the limbic and neocortical subdivisions of the central nervous system (CNS) during relaxing activities in your own home i.e. is your blood pressure 5-7 mmHg lower when measured in your own home compared to measurements in a medical ward. On this background is the dissemination of integrated home care a broad demonstrator of the benefits of better mental integration as it applies to frequent groups of chronic conditions as stroke, heart failure (HF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and psychiatric diseases. A majority of the EU populations is exposed to risk of these four chronic conditions. Firstly, the paper summarizes the neuroeconomic model. Secondly, an EU-FP7-HEALTH-project serving as a large-scale dissemination-test is summarized.