Ted Thompson, senior vice president of public policy at The Michael J. Fox Foundation; Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA); Kristophe Diaz, executive director of CurePSP; and Parkinson’s advocates Allie Signorelli and Rick Grant celebrate the bill's introduction.
On August 1, 2024, Representatives Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) introduced a new bill — the HEALTHY BRAINS Act — that would direct the federal government to research the relationship between environmental risk factors and neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and ALS.
What is the HEALTHY BRAINS Act?
The Harmonizing Environmental Analyses and Launching Therapeutic Hubs to Yield Bolstered Research and Innovation in Neurological Science (HEALTHY BRAINS) Act (H.R. 9233) would require the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish a program called the Collaborative Centers for Neurodegenerative Disease Environmental Research to conduct and support this basic, applied and clinical research.
Each Center would engage stakeholders such as people living with neurodegenerative diseases, researchers, health professionals and nonprofit organizations and would be encouraged to pursue goals such as:
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Establishing a nationwide neurodegenerative disease data system.
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Creating a clearinghouse to facilitate greater understanding of environmental risk factors of neurodegenerative diseases.
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Providing training and educational opportunities to raise awareness about environmental risk factors and their impact on our nation’s health.
“The introduction of the HEALTHY BRAINS Act in the House is a much-needed step forward in better understanding, treating and someday curing and preventing neurological diseases including Parkinson’s disease and atypical parkinsonisms,” said Ted Thompson, senior vice president of public policy at The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF). “Millions of Americans stand to benefit from a concerted federal effort to examine the effects of dangerous and harmful environmental risk factors for disease. The Michael J. Fox Foundation applauds Representatives Wexton and Bilirakis for their unwavering leadership on this issue and looks forward to continuing our work together.”
You may know Representatives Bilirakis and Wexton from their bipartisan leadership on the National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act, which was signed into law in July 2024. As implementation of the new law gets underway, we’re grateful to Representatives Bilirakis and Wexton for continuing to champion the Parkinson’s community with the introduction of the HEALTHY BRAINS Act.
What are the environmental risk factors for Parkinson’s disease?
With only about 30 percent of Parkinson’s risk explained by genetics, a combination of other factors including aging, lifestyle and environment can play a significant role in the development of the disease.
Research has identified some environmental risk factors for Parkinson’s including exposure to chemicals like the solvent trichlorethylene, an herbicide called paraquat and toxins associated with military service, but many potential links like air pollution remain under-researched. Identifying these environmental risk factors and investigating their effects could support the development of new treatments or even help prevent Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases altogether.
Learn more by checking out:
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An interview with Dr. Beate Ritz, an MJFF-funded researcher who studies environment and Parkinson’s
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A recent episode of MJFF’s podcast: Everyday Exposures to Parkinson’s: Environmental Connections to the Disease
How can you help support the HEALTHY BRAINS Act?
We’ll be rallying our nationwide network of grassroots advocates (including you!) to urge the federal government to address environmental risk factors on the Parkinson’s National Day of Action on September 17, 2024.
Be sure to sign up for our Parkinson’s Policy Network to receive an email on the Day of Action with all the information you need to participate!