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. 9233, the Harmonizing Environmental Analyses and Launching Therapeutic Hubs to Yield Bolstered Research And Innovation in Neurological Science (HEALTHY BRAINS) Act.

If passed, the HEALTHY BRAINS Act would create the first-ever Centers of Excellence grant program within the National Institute of Health to investigate how environmental risk factors may contribute to the development of neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, multiple system atrophy (MSA), corticobasal degeneration (CBD) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP).

As you likely know, Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) was diagnosed in 2023 with PSP, a rare and quickly progressive brain disease. 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 on July 2, 2024. We must continue this momentum! Reps. Wexton and Bilirakis introduced the HEALTHY BRAINS Act on August 1, 2024. 

Research indicates that a combination of factors including lifestyle, genetics and environment play a role in the development of certain brain diseases, such as Parkinson’s and ALS. However, little is known about such relationships with PSP, CBD and MSA. Time is of the essence to accelerate research in this space. People with these diseases are often diagnosed in their 60s, 50s or younger, experience changes to walking, coordination, speech and swallowing, and have an average life expectancy of 8 years. You can learn more about these diseases at www.curepsp.org

Thank you for your support for the PSP, CBD, MSA and larger neurodegenerative disease community by cosponsoring the HEALTHY BRAINS Act!