HEALTHY BRAINS Act of 2026

This legislation directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a comprehensive program focused on understanding the environmental risk factors contributing to neurodegenerative diseases, including environmental toxicant exposures. The program will support and conduct research , provide training , and disseminate health information , specifically targeting substances like volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, and heavy metals. Research will also explore mechanistic interactions, presymptomatic markers, and advance environmental health strategies for prevention, management, and treatment, while considering occupational, sociobehavioral, and gene-environment factors. To ensure effective implementation, the Secretary must coordinate efforts across the Department of Health and Human Services to avoid duplication and expand funding for environmental health research. This includes leading a focused effort to fund new and existing centers dedicated to studying environmental risk factors. Biennial reports detailing research findings will be submitted to Congress and made publicly available. A key provision is the establishment of Collaborative Centers for Neurodegenerative Disease Environmental Research at various institutions. These centers will conduct basic, applied, and clinical research with an emphasis on population-based and interdisciplinary approaches. They are also authorized to provide career enhancement, professional training, public information dissemination, and potentially establish a nationwide data system and an "Environmental Contributions to Neurodegenerative Disease Information Clearinghouse." To support these critical initiatives, the bill authorizes an appropriation of $50,000,000 for each fiscal year from 2027 through 2031.