American Brain Foundation

Images: The cover image of the Becker's Healthcare Review Podcast and a photograph of American Brain Foundation Executive Director, Michelle Heritage. Text: New episode: Michelle Heritage, Executive Director of the American Brain Foundation.

Michelle Heritage joins the Becker's Hospital Review Healthcare Podcast to discuss critical funding initiatives and efforts to advance #BrainHealth research. She highlights how the Big Beautiful Bill could impact the future of scientific discovery. #BrainSky🎧 Listen now ➡️ buff.ly/goaiIB7

Life without brain disease is possible. But finding cures depends on research, and research depends on support from donors like you. Thank you for joining us in this important work. #BrainSky

Image: A neurologist studying brain scans. Text: Applications for Next Generation Research Grants are still open.

Reminder: the American Brain Foundation is accepting applications for 2026 Next Generation Research Grants until September 9. These awards fund and support innovative investigations by the best and brightest early-career researchers. Good luck! #ResearchFunding

🧠🔬 Apply ➡️ buff.ly/fe1DHcz

Updates on Deep Brain Stimulation as a Therapy Learn how deep brain stimulation is evolving as a therapy for Parkinson’s, epilepsy, and depression, with insights from recent research and trials.

This week’s blog discusses #DeepBrainStimulation (DBS) and research updates about this procedure. DBS sends an electrical signal directly into a specific region of the brain to treat #Parkinsons, essential #tremor, #dystonia, #epilepsy, and other disorders.

Read more buff.ly/xTRrKTs ⬇️

Research Discovery: The vesicle cycle, wherein neurons contain and transport neurotransmitters, can now be accurately simulated with computers.

Diseases Affected: Depression, muscle weakness, and potentially anything that involves dysfunction of neurotransmitter processing.

Key Findings: Previously, it was very difficult to observe vesicle cycles directly. This achievement makes it possible to simulate how they are performing in the context of diseases.

What's Next: Researchers will be able to use this tool to investigate what happens with neurotransmitters at the synaptic level, which could help them develop better treatments for diseases.

Wiley Analytical Science reports that researchers have created a precise digital simulation of the vesicle cycle between neurons. This new digital tool will help researchers test hypotheses about the roles of neurotransmitters in diseases.

🧠 Read more: buff.ly/ucRr0yy

A group of people stretching together in the park.

Regular exercise is important for everyone, including those with a neurologic disorder like #MS or #Parkinsons. Working out as a group has benefits. @BrainAndLifeMag.bsky.social from @AANMember.bsky.social shares how to find nearby or online group exercise classes buff.ly/pOggqEa

"One thing that has given me hope is that a number of universities have shown that they are willing to stand up and advocate for biomedical researchers and other researchers, and there has been some collaboration", says Benjamin Tolchin, MD, MS, FAAN, FAES.

"Organizations like the American Brain Foundation can potentially fill at least part of that gap, particularly in protecting junior investigators who are at real risk of having to end their entire research careers prematurely because of this lack of funding and uncertainty and instability in funding", says Benjamin Tolchin, MD, MS, FAAN, FAES.

"For better or worse, we are being forced broadly as a research community to [better] communicate the importance and value of what we do . . . One thing that gives me hope is seeing people understanding and pivoting toward the importance of this broad-based advocacy", says Eyal Kimchi, MD, PhD.

"I am unbelievably appreciative to the ABF ... It served me at a time when I felt vulnerable and uncertain. I can see it continuing to play so many important roles", says Eyal Kimchi, MD, PhD.

Benjamin Tolchin, MD, MS, FAAN (Yale, New Haven) and Eyal Kimchi, MD, PhD (Northwestern, Chicago), past ABF grant recipients (in 2015 and 2014, respectively) spoke with us about the climate for research funding, following federal cuts to NIH, and what still gives them hope.

How Does Stroke Connect to Other Diseases and Surgery? Is stroke connected to other conditions? Explore the links to heart disease, infections, migraine, and more.

Strokes have many causes, including cardiovascular disease, other conditions such as immune responses to infection, and sometimes even surgeries. The article also discusses how #stroke relates to and compares with #migraine.

🧠 Learn more buff.ly/N2Tnx3k ⬇️

Research discovery: certain proteins may be responsible for dementia in middle age, and their identification could make it easier to diagnose and treat the disease.

Diseases affected: Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)

Key findings: the proteins the team identified show evidence of changes in composition, suggesting problems with RNA regulation and defects that affect connections in the brain.

What's next? Further study of these proteins could lead to specific biomarkers for catching FTD early on.

Frontotemporal Dementia (#FTD) is the most common form of dementia to affect people under 60. Researchers @ucsfmac.bsky.social have recently made discoveries about the proteins involved, which could be the first specific markers to detect FTD in living patients. buff.ly/xocjO4E

Four needles laid out with liquid steroids in small bottles in between the needles.

Steroids are chemicals that reduce inflammation in the body. Some, like prednisone and cortisone, are prescribed to treat conditions like multiple sclerosis and myasthenia gravis. Learn more about #steroids in @BrainAndLifeMag.bsky.social, from @AANMember.bsky.social.

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Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) could improve life for people affected by brain injury or disease and help them communicate. Recently, a company called Paradromics briefly implanted such a device in a living patient. What are your thoughts on brain-computer interfaces? ⬇️

Help Someone Like Elizabeth

Without research, there are no cures. Now is the time to act. ⚡🧠 Join us in funding research to discover improved diagnoses, treatments, and cures for someone like Elizabeth: buff.ly/o4Jj4OD ⬇️

Now, that progress is under threat. In 2025, $1B in #NIH #ResearchFunding was slashed. A proposed 43% cut in 2026 could wipe out $20B more. That’s a generation of cures lost—not because science failed, but support did. People like Elizabeth will wait even longer for relief.

#BrainResearch powers progress. It’s led to early detection, new treatments, and major breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, MS, and many more brain diseases. We can only harness these benefits by continued investment in research to build upon what we already know.

#Migraine is more than a headache. It brings #BrainFog, trouble finding words or forming thoughts, and more. Elizabeth and 39M+ Americans live with this serious condition. By investing in research, you have the opportunity to help everyone living with migraine.

"If we can look at this and realize that by giving people options through the research that is desperately needed, and for funding research that is desperately needed, we could make huge strides", says Elizabeth DeStefano, a migraine patient advocate.

“We have this incredibly disabling condition,” says Elizabeth DeStefano, a lifelong #MigraineAdvocate. Yet #MigraineResearch remains deeply underfunded. 🧠⚡ Help change that: buff.ly/NtTgGXn

The Process of Demyelination Demyelination is damage to the nerve's protective coating. Learn how it affects the brain and what researchers are doing to fight it.

Nerve fibers have a protective coating called myelin. Over time, conditions like multiple sclerosis damage myelin and then the nerve fibers themselves. This week’s blog post explores this process, called #demyelination.

📰 Read the blog buff.ly/FYHcKuC ⬇️

Did you know? Brain disease is the leading cause of illness and disability worldwide.

#DisabilityAwarenessDay emphasizes inclusion, celebrates diversity, and recognizes the contributions of people who are differently abled. Neurological conditions are the leading cause of disability, and continued research can lead to improved quality of life.

@BrainAndLifeMag.bsky.social, from @AANMember.bsky.social, shares some updates on treatments for #MyastheniaGravis (MG), a chronic neuromuscular autoimmune disorder. Read about the available medications and infusions to treat the disease and what you should know about them.

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A recent study by Song-Yi Park, PhD, at the University of Hawai’i Cancer Center, found that the #MINDdiet can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 25 percent. #HealthyEating #HealthyAging

Meet 2025 Next Generation Research Grant recipient Tiffany Li, PhD. She will work with cancer patients to establish new biomarkers for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (#CIPN). Funded with @foundationforpn.bsky.social. #BrainSky 🧠 Read more about Dr. Li's research: buff.ly/GsrzpXX

This week’s blog looks at negativity bias: our tendency to respond more strongly and focus more intently on negative information and thoughts than on positive ones. However, there are ways to achieve a more equal balance. #negativitybias
ow.ly/zPvj50WmttS

Why Taxi Drivers Don’t Die of Alzheimer’s | Harvard Magazine Explaining taxi and ambulance drivers’ protection against Alzheimer’s disease.

Harvard Magazine recently featured an article confirming research that taxi drivers and ambulance drivers have the lowest mortality rates from #Alzheimers disease. This is likely due to their need to rely on navigational memory, processed in the hippocampus. www.harvardmagazine.com/2025/05/harv...

#Echolalia, the behavior of repeating words someone else has said, is a common trait among children, but in some cases, persistent echolalia could be a sign of autism or a developmental delay. @BrainandLifeMag, from @AANMember, shares expert advice. ow.ly/jkfL50WaX7z

Did you know that high temperatures can affect your brain? Here are some tips to take care of your brain in the heat. Stay safe! For more information, please visit www.ready.gov/heat

We’re thrilled to announce the American Brain Foundation Gala: A Night of Brilliance and Breakthroughs, Sept. 13, 2005, at the Country Music Hall of Fame, Nashville. This formal event will feature Guster and honor advocates Selma Blair and Sean Astin. ow.ly/3MRb50WiJXF.

#TersonSyndrome has been added to our Brain Diseases from A-to-Z page. This condition includes bleeding inside the eyes, often as a result of an aneurysm, brain hemorrhage, or traumatic brain injury. It is a serious medical emergency. ow.ly/2lv050WiJLU

Opinion | Drastic cuts to NIH will halt brain research on the cusp of transformational treatments. These setbacks could derail future cures in ways that we may not be able to recover from for decades.

What effect will recent NIH cuts have on medical research? Our Executive Director Michelle Heritage explores this in her op-ed featured in MSNBC ⬇️ ow.ly/sYGE50Wix3r

Research Discovery: The act of learning a musical instrument as a group can be beneficial to patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Diseases Affected: Brain fog from chemotherapy.

Key Findings: Patients who participated in group piano lessons experienced improvements in attention, focus, and executive function.

What’s Next: This was a small study that has not been published in a peer-reviewed journal, so further research at a greater scale is needed. With support from an NEA grant, Dr. Bugos and her team are expanding this approach to patients with other medical conditions.

@cancerhealth.bsky.social reports that, in a small study, group piano lessons provided relief for cancer patients experiencing chemotherapy “brain fog.” Patients experienced gains in cognition (and a boost to their mood) from the lessons—especially as part of a group.

Read more: buff.ly/4AIloL8

The SmikleSpeaks Podcast: Brain Matters, Featuring Matt Picard, Pt. 2

In this episode of the SmikleSpeaks podcast, ABF board members Dr. Joanne Smikle and Matt Picard talk about how his experience with post-concussive syndrome evolved into a broader commitment to advancing brain health.

🎧 Listen to the episode: buff.ly/XY972Yx