Researchers at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health conducted two studies that show how early-life financial hardship is linked to higher mortality risk and premature deaths.

Diagnoses can change life as we know it. By funding research, we can find preventions, treatments, and cures so that everyone can live without #BrainDisease. #CureOneCureMany #ResearchMatters

Meet 2025 Next Gen. Research Grant recipient Jose Viteri, PhD. At the University of Missouri, Columbia, he is studying how senolytic drugs work, in relation to #ALS. Funded with the @alsassociation.bsky.social and @aanmember.bsky.social. 🔬 Learn more about Dr. Viteri's research: buff.ly/g8L4LVw

#Zika virus has been added to our Brain Diseases from A to Z page. While Zika technically isn’t a brain disease in itself, it can cause brain-related #BirthDefects for infants if a pregnant mother is infected. 🧠 Read more about Zika Virus ⬇️

This holiday season, give the gift of brain research with a tribute or memorial donation. 🎁 Simply click “Dedicate this donation” on our online donation form and enter your honoree’s name. You’ll make TWICE the impact with our current challenge ➡️ buff.ly/N352mwZ 💓

A qualified charitable distribution (QCD) allows individuals aged 70½ and older to make a tax-free gift directly from their IRA. Making a gift to ABF through a #QCD is a simple, meaningful way to meet annual distribution requirements while advancing brain research. #GiveSmart

Brain diseases can strike anyone at any time, and they can change everything. Our best hope is to invest in research for better prevention, treatments, and cures. #CureOneCureMany #ResearchMatters

Donating long-term appreciated securities—such as stocks, mutual funds, or exchange-traded funds—is a tax-efficient way to support research.

Today is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Our blog discusses brain disease and disabilities. Research will lead to fewer disabling symptoms, but we must also improve inclusion for all who currently live with disabilities. #IDPD 📖 Read the Blog ⬇️ buff.ly/FpLQFH4

Today is #GivingTuesday, the annual day of generosity. By donating you can fund research to find cures for brain disease. We currently have a $50,000 challenge, meaning that you can DOUBLE your impact on research. 💓 Double your impact: buff.ly/lQUzZPI

ABF board member and popular podcaster Joanne L. Smikle, PhD, is presenting a three-part series of conversations with Teresa Eyet, a patient recently diagnosed with early-onset #Alzheimers disease. 🎧 Listen Now ➡️ buff.ly/ZIp9jIA

We would like to express our utmost #gratitude to all American Brain Foundation donors and philanthropists. Your generosity to fund research is making a difference for all those who live with brain disease or who might face one in the future. Thank you!

Donating appreciated securities is a tax-smart way to make a meaningful impact on brain disease research. We would be happy to help you set up a stock donation. Please visit our stock donation page for more information: buff.ly/LVmYFLR

Gratitude can be a powerful feeling, but it’s more complex than you might think. Our latest blog discusses what happens in the brain when we experience and regularly practice #gratitude. 💓 Learn more about how gratitude can change the brain:

@aanmember.bsky.social reports new findings that 54% of people in the United States (more than 180 million) are affected by a neurological disorder. This analysis underscores the urgent need for increased funding for #BrainResearch. #Brainsky #Migraine #Neuropathy

As #NationalFamilyCaregiversMonth comes to a close, we spotlight painter and advocate Susan Schneider Williams as she shares a moving moment of creative synergy with her late husband, actor Robin Williams, who died of Lewy body dementia (LBD) in 2014. buff.ly/3xNsHGx

Executive Director Michelle Heritage contributed an opinion piece in today’s edition of @usatoday.com in support of #MedicalResearch funding. Scientists are on the verge of breakthroughs; the government should value and continue to fund research. #ResearchFunding 🔬🧠 Read the essay ➡️ buff.ly/Tc4CiJ4

We’re excited to share that a new study by THREE past ABF Next Generation Research Grant recipients shows that older adults can slow the onset of #Alzheimers symptoms just by taking 3,000 steps per day! Congrats, Drs. Yau, Chhatwal, and Sperling! #Brainsky

Researchers at @upenn.edu have identified that Y1 receptor-expressing #neurons in the brainstem’s lateral parabrachial nucleus are associated with #chronicpain. This suggests possibilities for future biomarkers and treatments. #Brainsky

Thrilled to be at #SfN25 this week! Sharing my research on TBI, white matter integrity, menopause, and hormone therapy 🧠🚺 Also very thankful to have been selected for the 2025 Trainee Professional Development Award supported by the @abfbrain.bsky.social! 🙂🎉

We’ve added cavernoma (or cavernous malformation) to the Brain Diseases from A to Z page on our website. #Cavernomas are abnormal clusters of small blood vessels that can cause seizures and strokes if they hemorrhage in the brain or spinal cord.

Rachel wanted to help people like her father, who had Alzheimer’s. She found the ABF and launched her own #fundraiser, which raised more than $3,000 for research! Thank you, Rachel! It’s easy to start a fundraiser and get your community involved:

We’re proud to share that American Brain Foundation Executive Director Michelle Heritage was featured in The New York Times! Her letter to the editor highlights the value of #BrainResearch. Read Michelle’s perspective:

Alzheimer’s disease causes 60–80% of all dementia cases—affecting millions of people and families worldwide. This Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, explore facts, research, and resources that bring hope for the future: 🔗 https://ow.ly/nGNM50XoyaU #AlzheimersAwarenessMonth #BrainHealth

This week’s blog looks at brain fog, or symptoms of mild cognitive impairment, like difficulty concentrating. #Brainfog is common and usually temporary. Most of the time it’s not a cause for concern, but if it lasts for several weeks, doctors can help. 🧠 Learn more: https://ow.ly/RWYW50Xncn7#Brainfog

Meet 2025 Next Gen. Research Grant recipient Peter Hadar, MD. He’s creating an atlas to predict seizures in #epilepsy. Funded w/ American Epilepsy Society, Epilepsy Foundation of America, & American Academy of Neurology. #NationalEpilepsyAwarenessMonth Learn more: https://ow.ly/T0WO50Xm8lg#epilepsy

Researchers at the Allen Institute have designed a new #GeneTherapy that has successfully reversed symptoms of SYNGAP1-related disorders (SRD) in mice. It is the first successful gene supplementation solution for SRDs.

Do you enjoy thrills and chills, be it riding rollercoasters or watching scary movies? This week’s blog post looks at the brain science of why we enjoy being frightened—as long as we’re not in real danger. 🎃🕷️👻🦇 Read the blog here ⬇️ https://ow.ly/MRA550XjmCP

A study in the journal Acta Neuropathologica has found that chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), an illness related to repeated head injuries, can be found at a significant rate among homeless/unhoused populations. #CTE #CTEAwareness #CTEResearch

Your retirement savings can help unlock the next breakthrough. If you’re 70½ or older, a gift from your #IRA (#QCD) can meet your RMD—and support life-changing brain research at the same time. Together, we can build a future without brain disease. ➡️ buff.ly/XgeLDbl #Philanthropy

#MultipleSclerosis (MS) damages myelin, the coating protecting nerve endings. Scientists at UC San Francisco and Contineum Therapeutics developed a drug that induces cells to replace lost myelin, potentially reversing MS. It’s now in Phase II testing.

This week’s blog recaps last month’s Meet the Researchers webinar, which featured seven of this year’s Next Generation Research Grant recipients. The full #webinar is now archived on our YouTube channel. Read about the remarkable work they’re doing buff.ly/9pocjIo ⬇️ #BrainResearch #BrainSky

Congratulations to Dr. Jacqueline Palmer of the University of Minnesota Medical School, who has been awarded a major NIH grant to study “fast-moving SuperAgers.” Her team hopes to gain important insights to prevent age-related decline and disability:

#ALS and #FTD have much in common, with overlapping genetic characteristics, causes, and protein deposits in nerve cells. We fund research across the entire spectrum of brain disease: discoveries that lead to a cure for one could lead to cures for others. #NeurodegenerativeDisease

Researchers at @jhu.edu used stem cells to grow tiny brain-like structures called #organoids. Through machine-learning, they identified a signature bioelectrical signal for #schizophrenia and #bipolar disorder.

CADASIL is a rare genetic disorder that causes the thickening of blood vessel walls, blocking blood flow to the brain. Patients experience migraine, strokes, and gradual cognitive decline toward dementia. More about #CADASIL on our new A-to-Z page here: buff.ly/uqlfaIv

💡 Meet 2025 Next Generation Researcher Giovanna Pilonieta, PhD, DDS, studying modifiable health behaviors, mental health, and #CognitiveFunction at UAB Birmingham. Funded with McKnight Brain Research Foundation and @aanmember.bsky.social. 🧠 Read more ➡️ buff.ly/rA78SBq #BrainHealth #Neuroscience

Board member Joanne Smikle, PhD, presents a new episode of her podcast #SmikleSpeaks with Super Bowl champion, #BrainHealth #advocate, and public speaker Ben Utecht. Dr. Smikle talks with him about his new book, The Champion’s Creed. 🎧 Listen Now ➡️ buff.ly/M9qQcCH

If your ears are “ringing,” or you are hearing a “phantom” sound without any external source, this is called #Tinnitus. There are many possible causes, including hearing loss. Fortunately, tinnitus and #HearingLoss can be treated.

Today is #DAFDay, which encourages the use of a donor advised fund (DAF): a tax-advantaged charitable giving account. It’s an easy, flexible, and cost-effective way to increase your impact on brain disease research. Learn more here: buff.ly/nZISSN4 #CharitableGiving #Philanthropy

In this week’s blog post, we look at the relationship between #grief and #dementia, explore what the brain is doing as people grieve, and suggest ways to help yourself heal from emotional trauma ➡️ buff.ly/qaXx6gK #Carer

Ray Dorsey, MD, and Michael S. Okun, MD—both past recipients of Next Generation Research Grants—have a new book called The Parkinson’s Plan. This guide explains how environmental factors lead to #Parkinsons and shares a plan for prevention and treatment. buff.ly/r4UtjS0

Researchers at @michiganstateu.bsky.social and Rutgers University–New Brunswick have discovered how the protein #cypin codes other proteins to support learning and memory. Understanding cypin could lead to new treatments for diseases like #Alzheimers.

Scientists at @lji.org and @columbiauniversity.bsky.social Irving Medical Center have discovered that ALS might be an autoimmune disease. ABF Next Generation Research alumni Merit Cudkowicz and James D. Berry were co-authors of this study: buff.ly/jM7LQyD

@newscientist.com discusses the #CriticalBrainHypothesis, a concept proposing that the brain manages enormous complexity by operating at the tipping point between order and disorder. This has profound implications for brain disease research. #Brainsky

This week’s blog recaps the #AmericanBrainFoundationGala: A Night of Brilliance and Breakthroughs, held at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in #Nashville, on Sept. 13. Thanks to all who helped make it our most successful fundraising event ever! Read the recap here buff.ly/geOLnhk ⬇️

Today is Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy (LGMD) Awareness Day, and September is National #MuscularDystrophyAwareness Month. LGMD specifically affects the muscles of the shoulders and hips. 🧠 To learn more about muscular dystrophy in general, please read our A-to-Z page on this topic: buff.ly/i2y8R2z.

Brenda Bobo experienced a near-fatal case of viral meningitis and encephalitis, which was made worse by her local doctors’ inability to recognize the symptoms. She shares her story here and encourages everyone to do all they can to support greater awareness and research. buff.ly/67ekFnr ⬇️

American Brain Foundation board member and popular podcaster Joanne Smikle continues her interview series with Matt Picard, who joined the board himself after his own experience with prolonged post-concussive syndrome. 🎧 Listen to part 3 of their conversation on #SmikleSpeaks buff.ly/u3PtnbY ⬇️

Brenda nearly died from viral #meningitis and #encephalitis. If her local doctors had been better informed about these diseases, they might have recognized the need for emergency care and helped her avoid permanent brain injury. 📖 Read Brenda's story in this week's blog buff.ly/c1w6B7e%E2%A...