HEALTHY BRAINS Act

The below message will be sent to your U.S. Representatives. While not required, please feel free to add a brief (recommended: no more than a few sentences) personal message to accompany it. Thank you for advocating with CurePSP!

As your constituent, I am writing to urge you to cosponsor H.R. 7779, the HEALTHY BRAINS Act.

As you know, brain health is a bipartisan issue that can and does impact everyone. If passed, the Harmonizing Environmental Analyses and Launching Therapeutic Hubs to Yield Bolstered Research And Innovation in Neurological Science ("HEALTHY BRAINS") Act would require HHS to establish a program for the conduct and support of research, training and health information dissemination with respect to environmental risk factors of neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; or Lou Gehrig's), Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, multiple system atrophy (MSA), corticobasal degeneration (CBD) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).

Former Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) had to retire following a diagnosis in 2023 with PSP, a rare and quickly progressive brain disease, following an initial diagnosis of Parkinson's. She and Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) were critical champions for the National Plan to End Parkinson's Act, which was passed by Congress with incredible bipartisan support and signed into law in July 2024. Later that summer they joined forces again to introduce the HEALTHY BRAINS Act in the 118th Congress. We must continue this momentum! 

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (Wexton's successor) and Rep. Bilirakis re-introduced the HEALTHY BRAINS Act on March 5, 2026. CurePSP, the Michael J Fox Foundation, the Parkinson's Foundation and the ALS Association, among others, have endorsed this bill.

While a combination of factors including lifestyle, genetics, and environment play a role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases research indicates that environmental factors play a much greater role than previously thought. Additionally, currently, little is known about such relationships with PSP, CBD and MSA specifically. Time is of the essence to accelerate research in this space. People with these diseases are often diagnosed in their 50s-60s or younger, experience significant difficulty with walking, coordination, speech and swallowing, and have an average life expectancy of 7.5 years. You can learn more about these diseases at www.curepsp.org

For questions about the HEALTHY BRAINS Act (HR 7779) and to cosponsor, please email elizabeth.cooper@mail.house.gov

Thank you for your support for the PSP, CBD, MSA and larger neurodegenerative disease community!