NEWS

July, 2026 News

Breaking News: FDA approves subcutaneous lecanemab as an initiation dose, the first at-home starting dose for the treatment of early AD

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the approval of a new starting dosage regimen for Leqembi IQLIK, the subcutaneous (SC) formulation of Leqembi (lecanemab), an amyloid-targeting therapy for individuals living with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or early dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Previously approved only as an intravenous starting dosage, with the option for transitioning to intravenous (IV) or SC maintenance dosage after 18 months of treatment, this approval marks the first time individuals can begin treatment with home administration by themselves or their care partner.

This approval decision was based on a range of clinical data, including results from the Phase 3 Clarity AD long-term extension which showed that once-weekly SC dosing provided drug exposure comparable to IV administration, supporting similar effectiveness in reducing amyloid plaques and slowing cognitive decline. Safety findings were also comparable between SC and IV dosing, with similar rates of ARIA-E, no increase in isolated ARIA-H versus placebo, and a generally similar overall safety profile. Injection-related reactions with SC treatment were mostly mild and localized, while systemic reactions were less common.

Breaking News: LEAD Coalition submits letter urging the withdrawal of OMB’s proposed revisions to the Uniform Guidance 

The LEAD Coalition submitted a letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) urging the agency to withdraw its proposed revisions to the Uniform Guidance (see OMB-2026-0034), arguing the changes would significantly undermine federal investments in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD). The letter strongly urges OMB to reconsider how the proposal would increase administrative burden, inject political considerations into grantmaking, create uncertainty through undefined standards and vague terminology, and weaken the long-term stability needed to support research, public health programs, workforce development, and community-based services.

In the letter, the LEAD Coalition warns that the proposed rule would disproportionately harm smaller community organizations, researchers, and providers in underserved communities, while limiting efforts to address health disparities and adapt programs to evolving patient and caregiver needs. The letter argues the revisions would jeopardize progress toward the goals of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act and reduce the effectiveness of federal funding administered by agencies including the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Defense (DoD), and Department of Justice (DOJ). 

The LEAD Coalition also joined 56 other organizations in a letter urging Congressional leadership to block OMB’s proposed rule, specifically to protect federal investments in biomedical research. The letter emphasizes that stable and unbiased grant processes at NIH is essential for advancing lifesaving treatments and cures, maintaining U.S. leadership in medical innovation, and supporting individuals, care partners, and families who depend on continued scientific progress.

The OMB received more than 340,000 comments by the July 13 deadline, reflecting strong community reaction to the proposed rule. Please watch this space for additional details and updates on OMB action related to this proposal.

LEAD Coalition submits letter in response to CMS’s proposed Medicaid community engagement requirements 

The LEAD Coalition submitted a letter encouraging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to reconsider proposed changes to Medicaid community engagement requirements (as outlined in CMS-2454-IFC). The letter cites the Shifting Ground report, recently released by the LEAD Coalition in partnership with UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, and outlines how the new rule would create significant unnecessary, counter-productive, and potentially dangerous administrative barriers to healthcare coverage and access for individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders (AD/ADRD), their care partners, and families. Specifically, the letter emphasizes:

• New eligibility requirements threaten continuity of care for individuals living with AD/ADRD
• New administrative burdens significantly elevate risk of care partners losing their own Medicaid coverage
• Elimination of self-attestation in 2028 will increase unwarranted disenrollment for eligible individuals 

The LEAD Coalition calls on CMS to review the Shifting Ground report before finalizing the rule and to adopt policies that protect the AD/ADRD community from avoidable coverage disruptions or denials.

House passes stopgap spending bill; Senate to bring separate bill to the floor before August recess

In an effort to avoid a government shutdown, the House has passed a government funding bill that would extend funding for all federal operations through the midterm elections. This bill, H.R.9770, is a clean, continuing resolution or “stopgap” bill that would fund the government through December 4, 2026. The 220-205 vote was largely along party lines, with Democrats strongly opposed to the measure as it lacks language to ensure new dollars are not spent on Border Patrol or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities. The bill does not include any special exceptions requested by the White House. 

Senate Majority Leader Thune has stated that he plans to bring a short-term stopgap bill to the Senate floor before the August recess. This bill is expected to differ from the House-passed bill; it is likely to be structured to attract bipartisan support though may also include some special spending requests from the White House. Check back here for more updates in the coming weeks.

Elevance updates coverage policy for Alzheimer’s disease biomarker testing 

Elevance Health (formerly Anthem, Inc.) has updated its medical policy on biomarker testing for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) to expand coverage for blood-based biomarker testing in certain clinical circumstances. Effective July 1, the revised policy considers blood biomarker tests medically necessary for adults age 50 and older with mild cognitive impairment or dementia when the results are expected to inform diagnosis or guide further evaluation. Applicable circumstances include determining whether amyloid PET imaging or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) testing is needed. CSF biomarker testing continues to be covered for eligible patients as part of the diagnostic evaluation for AD.

The policy limits coverage to symptomatic individuals whose diagnosis remains uncertain after a standard clinical evaluation and when test results are expected to affect clinical management. It does not cover testing for asymptomatic individuals, repeat testing without a new clinical indication, or testing that would not influence treatment decisions. The update reflects the growing role of blood-based biomarkers in Alzheimer’s diagnosis while recognizing PET imaging and CSF testing as important tools for confirming amyloid pathology, particularly when evaluating patients for anti-amyloid therapies.

FDA grants Fast Track Designation for remlifanserin in Alzheimer’s disease psychosis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation to Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. for remlifanserin, an investigational, highly selective, 5-HT2A receptor inverse agonist, for the treatment of hallucinations and delusions associated with Alzheimer’s disease psychosis (ADP). Fast Track designation is designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of drugs intended to treat serious conditions and fill an unmet medical need, with the goal of getting important new drugs to patients earlier. Remlifanserin (ACP-204) is a potent and highly selective serotonin 5-HT2A receptor inverse agonist for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body–associated psychosis and is believed to reduce hallucinations and delusions through selective 5-HT2A receptor inverse agonism, potentially restoring excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) balance without direct dopamine (D2) blockade and avoiding the common safety and tolerability issues associated with atypical antipsychotics. 

RADIANT (NCT06159673) — Acadia’s development program evaluating remlifanserin for the treatment of hallucinations and delusions associated with ADP — has completed enrollment in the Phase 2 portion of the program. Acadia expects to report top-line results in September or October, 2026. Consistent with RADIANT’s operationally seamless design, screening and enrollment are underway in the Phase 3 studies.

LEAD Coalition welcomes the Eden Alternative as new member

The LEAD Coalition recently welcomed the Eden Alternative as its newest member organization. The Eden Alternative is a global, non-profit 501(c)3 organization and care philosophy dedicated to transforming traditional, institutional senior living environments into vibrant, human-centered “habitats.” Founded in the early 1990s,  its philosophy and approach to aging and care seeks to improve the lives of older adults by transforming care environments into places where people can continue to grow, contribute, and experience purpose. The Eden Alternative challenges traditional institutional models of long-term care by emphasizing person-directed living rather than task-focused care. At the heart of the Eden Alternative is the belief that many of the hardships associated with aging stem not only from disease or disability, but also from loneliness, helplessness, and boredom. The approach encourages organizations to create meaningful relationships, empower individuals to make choices about their daily lives, and foster environments rich with companionship, community, and opportunities to give as well as receive care.

LEAD Coalition welcomes Absolute Value Group as new member organization

The LEAD Coalition recently welcomed Absolute Value Group (|AV|) as its newest member organization. AV is an independent clearinghouse for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) clinical expertise, with a mission of accelerating innovation for individuals and families living with AD. In the fall of 2025, AV launched a first-ever community for clinical AD experts across the US – yielding ongoing, iterative, deepening peer dialogue around emerging clinical topics. Through our patent-pending methodology, AV generates continual, deepening insight into real-world clinical decision making, with breadth and speed that benefits industry clients and other constituents. The result is living, longitudinal intelligence, accumulating institutional knowledge and timely insights mined more cost-effectively than through traditional means of thought leader engagement. As AV addresses these previously-unmet needs in a synergistic way, it serves as a trusted broker to turns negatives into positives and deliver “absolute value” to stakeholders across the AD ecosystem.

Report explores best-practice respite strategies

In 2019, ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center launched an Innovative and Exemplary Respite Services Initiative to identify, describe, honor, and promote best practices. Over the last seven years, ARCH has recognized 47 respite organizations for their innovative services. Based on lessons learned from the Initiative, ARCH has release a new report exploring best-practice respite strategies. The report examines what best-practice respite means to program providers and caregivers, and outlines ways respite programs can embed best practices in their day-to-day work to meet best-practice goals. The report outlines recommendations for best practice implementation for individual respite programs and for respite systems, including:

For Individual Programs

• Start with caregiver-defined outcomes. 
• Write down your broad vision and mission to reflect caregiver-defined outcomes, and specify observable and measurable outcomes and goals to reach those outcomes.
• Build your service model around person- and family-centered practices.
• Clearly define and document your model in a precise, comprehensive, written service manual that will provide a road map toward achieving outcomes and goals.
• Develop a written evaluation plan that precisely matches stated outcomes and goals, monitors service activities, and measures whether outcomes and goals were achieved.
• Listen, observe, and formally measure on an ongoing basis to gauge whether the services you offer match caregivers’ and families’ needs and priorities. Innovate, adapt, and enhance services to meet changing needs, preferences, and circumstances.

For Respite Systems

• Organize and fund demonstration projects to encourage identification and dissemination of best respite practices.
• Replicate Innovative and Exemplary respite services and programs that demonstrate best practices.
• Organize and fund ongoing initiatives to support volunteer and workforce development.
• Provide training and technical assistance as well as financial resources to respite services to help them implement core practices, including program planning, implementation, and evaluation.

NAC and CNC launch HCBS advocacy toolkit

The National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and the Caregiver Nation Coalition (CNC) have developed an advocacy toolkit to help partners, caregivers, and advocates make the case for Medicaid home- and community-based services (HCBS), and turn that case into action. The toolkit includes: 

• Key messages on the value of HCBS for caregivers, communities, and the broader economy 
• Fact sheets, infographics, and informational articles 
• Template social media graphics and sample copy 
• Template newsletter and letter to the editor with a call to action 

HCBS are a cornerstone of how older adults and people with disabilities manage chronic conditions, avoid preventable hospitalizations, and maintain quality of life at home. For the eight million family caregivers covered by Medicaid, these services are also what makes sustained caregiving possible. Right now, they are at serious risk of cuts and elimination. A new study confirms what caregivers already know: the more states invest in HCBS, the more likely older adults are to age in place in their own homes. Researchers found that a 20 percent increase in a state’s HCBS spending share was associated with a lower likelihood of institutional or group quarters residence and reduced reliance on co-residence with an adult child, without a marked increase in Medicaid enrollment. Targeted HCBS investment helps older adults stay home and eases the challenges facing family caregivers.

KFF issue brief examines nursing home health deficiencies 

KFF has released an issue brief, A Closer Look at Deficiencies in Nursing Homes, which provides an overview of the nursing home inspection process and the types of deficiencies (e.g., failures to meet federal safety and quality requirements) identified during these inspections. The nursing home survey and certification process is a federal-state partnership designed to ensure that nursing homes comply with health and safety standards. While nursing homes can receive deficiencies for fire safety and emergency preparedness, this analysis, as well as previous KFF analysis and published state-level data, only include health deficiencies. Health deficiencies are those related to clinical care, medical treatment, and daily living conditions of nursing home residents.

The study found that the vast majority of nursing home health deficiencies did not cause actual harm to residents but had the potential to cause harm. However, five percent of all nursing home deficiencies cited in the last survey cycle rose to the level of actual harm or immediate jeopardy to residents. These are deficiencies that have caused, or are likely to cause, serious injury, harm, impairment, or death to a resident. Nursing homes with lower staffing levels are more likely to receive deficiencies that cause serious harm or immediate jeopardy to residents than nursing homes with higher staffing levels.

$100M in cuts to AHRQ healthcare delivery research grants jeopardize patient care

In mid-July, the Trump administration unexpectedly began canceling over $100M in research grants funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a small federal agency that supports research on how to improve healthcare delivery and reduce healthcare costs. The canceled grants were supporting ongoing studies on topics such as patient safety, healthcare quality, chronic disease management, and access to care. 

Though the administration has said it is redirecting resources toward different health priorities, these grant cancellations follow an already unprecedented series of actions to significantly reduce AHRQ’s capacity. In 2025, the agency lost approximately 80 percent of its staff, including most of the employees responsible for reviewing grants and supporting grantees, leaving it without sufficient personnel to effectively administer programs required by statute. Since October 1, 2025, AHRQ has awarded less than 5 percent of the funding available for extramural grants. Furthermore, the President’s FY2027 budget proposal calls for a funding reduction of approximately $129 million, the elimination of new extramural grants, and integration of operations into a new HHS office; the House’s FY2027 bill proposes eliminating all funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), effectively shuttering the agency and its functions. (The LEAD Coalition’s FY2027 appropriations letter to Congress urged Congress to provide at least $500 million to AHRQ). 

AcademyHealth, which leads the Friends of AHRQ, has been at the forefront of monitoring these cuts and communicating their impact. AcademyHealth launched Research Interrupted, a website housing a dashboard and tracker that shows what grants have been canceled, including breakdowns by specific states and topics. In addition to funding amounts, it also provides descriptions of every research project in language geared to policymakers and journalists. This is an excellent tool to ensure transparency of the consequential impacts of these funding cuts on patients and families. More details can be found in reporting from the New York Times, STAT News, Health Affairs Podcast, and Becker’s Hospital Review. 

Additional Reads

• Trump Is About to Send Seniors’ Drug Costs Surging (read here)
• Can P-tau217 Predict Alzheimer’s Symptoms in Healthy People? (read here)
• Serial amyloid PET demonstrates marked reduction in amyloid burden following donanemab treatment: a real-world cohort study (read here)
• A multi-modal agent attention model for Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis with structural MRI and clinical data (read here)
• Predicting disease through voice recordings and AI: experts establish standards for vocal biomarkers (read here)
• Dementia affecting younger persons strikes Hispanics more than previously thought, UT Health San Antonio-led study shows (read here)
• Can the Brain’s Immune System Be Harnessed to Treat Alzheimer’s? (read here)
• Standardizing care for agitation in Alzheimer’s disease, results from a randomized controlled trial of an integrated care pathway versus usual care – the StaN trial (read here)
• Defining Alzheimer’s Disease Agitation: Diagnostic Criteria, Symptoms, and Disease Course (read here)
• Rutgers Researchers Lead Study Tracking Risk Factors for Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementias in South Asian Americans (read here)
• Alzheimer’s Biomarker P-tau 217 is Weak in Preclinical Studies (read here)
• RFK Jr urges Alzheimer’s screening but blunts key panel that could drive research (read here)
• Life’s Essential 8: Essential for Brain and Cognitive Health (read here)
• What Geriatric Emergency Departments Do Differently (read here)
• Associations of general and specific psychopathology factors by age 35 with dementia after age 50: a Swedish population-based sibling comparison study (read here)
• C-BRAIN Releases Its First Four AI Tools to Alzheimer’s Scientists (read here)
• Could this enzyme help remove “zombie” cells from our tissues? (read here)
• How Alzheimer’s begins and spreads in the brain (read here)
• Persistent money struggles linked to faster brain ageing (read here)
• Millions of family caregivers manage complex diets for older relatives – often with little nutritional guidance
  (read here)
• Brain immunity may undergo a major midlife overhaul (read here)
• Time-Restricted Eating Combined with Exercise Effective in Managing Weight and Improving Metabolic Health (read here)
• SuperAging isn’t simply the opposite of Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• 3D Genome Mapping Reveals New Layer of Alzheimer’s Disease Biology in Brain Cells (read here)
• Could the Gut Hold Early Clues to Alzheimer’s Disease? (read here)
• Three new genetic modifiers connected to risk in Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• Scientists Discover Hidden Gateways That Allow the Brain to Clear Waste (read here)
• Longitudinal PET Scans Reveal Amyloid Immunotherapy Use (read here)
• Effects of accelerated DLPFC-rTMS on cognition, EEG activity, and blood biomarkers in Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• How a controversial rule could hurt the NIH’s ability to manage risk (read here)
• Estimating the prevalence of amyloid positivity among older adults without dementia in the general population (read here)
• AAIC26: Alzheimer’s disease heterogeneity calls for a rethink (read here)
• US dominates Alzheimer’s disease studies (read here)
• 6 dementia symptoms that can show up years before a diagnosis (read here)
• A Glimpse of the Future from the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (read here)
• U.S. judge rejects Trump’s justification for terminating thousands of grants (read here)
• House Passes Balderson’s AADAPT Act to Improve Early Alzheimer’s Detection and Care (read here)
• Your dementia risk is higher if your spouse has it – but it’s more than shared lifestyle (read here)
• Live music series offers boost to dementia patients, caregivers (read here)
• Plasma proteome profiling identified biomarkers for the differential diagnosis and molecular staging of neurodegenerative dementias (read here)
• An Agency That Supports Health-Care Improvement Cuts Off Grant Funding (read here)
• Violence repeatedly erupts in dementia care despite warnings, inspections show (read here)
• Two New Ways to Attack TDP-43 (read here)
• Cerebrospinal fluid α‐synuclein and Aβ42 link with default mode and salience networks connectivity in dementia with Lewy bodies (read here)
• Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi may help over 75% people remain stable or improve (read here)
• Breaking News Dispatch: Diversifying the Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment Portfolio (read here)
• Protective protein reduces tau tangle toxicity linked to dementia (read here)
• Can the shingles vaccine prevent Alzheimer’s? GSK has a big study to find out (read here)
• Cultural Barriers to Dementia Diagnosis and Care (read here)
• Immigration crackdown cripples America’s caregiving industry (read here)
• Massive Meta-Analysis Pegs Centiloid Positivity Thresholds (read here)
• Alzheimer’s trial results lend momentum to strategies targeting tau (read here)
• ‘Toxic waste’ build-up in the brain may be driving dementia and ALS (read here)
• UT Health San Antonio study links sleeping long hours with higher levels of an Alzheimer’s-related protein (read here)
• Deep Learning Models Use MRI Scan to Predict Alzheimer’s Disease Progression (read here)
• AHRQ Has Begun Canceling Research Grants. Here’s What We Know. (read here)
• CDC director nominee Erica Schwartz faced questions in Senate hearing (read here)
• New WHO guidelines: up to 45% of dementia risk could be prevented or delayed (read here)
• Dementia Costs High-Income European Countries Over €221 Billion a Year, With Families Carrying Much of the Burden (read here)
• Brain’s immune cells put the brakes on out-of-control circuits in mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• Cell-type signatures of Alzheimer’s disease shared across population groups (read here)
• Blood Tests for Alzheimer’s Disease Are Showing Promise (read here)
• Legal Protections to Mitigate Discrimination due to Neurodegenerative Biomarker Status (read here)
• Chairman Rick Scott Celebrates Senate Passage of the Older Americans Act Reauthorization (read here)
• Predicting Risk of Cognitive Impairment With Alzheimer Disease Blood Biomarkers (read here)
• An experimental Alzheimer’s drug shows promise targeting a different brain protein, new study shows (read here)
• THC/CBD Shows Promise for Treating Agitation in Late-Stage Alzheimer’s (read here)
• A new AI model could aid earlier Alzheimer’s diagnosis (read here)
• Prognostic Value of Blood-Based P-Tau217 Levels for Progression to Cognitive Impairment (read here)
• Dementia Prevalence Trends in Latin America and the Caribbean (read here)
• Early prediction of Alzheimer’s disease using longitudinal electronic health records of US military veterans (read here)
• Major trial launched to explore GLP-1 benefit in dementia (read here)
• Performance of Alzheimer Disease Plasma Biomarkers in Patients With Prion Diseases (read here)
• Dementia risk factors look different around the world, large USC study finds (read here)
• Global consortium launches AI tools to accelerate Alzheimer’s research, treatments (read here)
• Alzheimer’s Association Launches “PROTECT-Cog” Study to Test U.S. POINTER Lifestyle and GLP-1 or Similar Drug to Cut Risk of Cognitive Decline (read here)
• As states absorb Medicaid funding cuts, family caregivers face financial ruin (read here)
• Prioritizing Women’s Brain Health Can Save Lives and Global Economies (read here)
• Heterogeneous responses to memantine in Alzheimer’s disease: A precision medicine approach using iPSC models (read here)
• Does APOE4 Act Through Oligodendrocytes? (read here)
• The digital therapy helping dementia carers (read here)
• Nominee for key federal health role has a history of questioning vaccines (read here)
• Remote network for cognitive symptoms derived from tau accumulation in progressive supranuclear palsy (read here)
• Brain-body connection: Expert shares tips to reduce risk of cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• Artificial Intelligence for the Diagnosis and Management of Neurodegenerative Diseases: A Comprehensive Review With an Emphasis on Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Diseases (read here)
• FTD and Young Age of Onset Can Lengthen Time to Dementia Diagnosis, Study Finds (read here)
• Long-Term Income and Productivity Losses in Individuals With Early-Onset Dementia (read here)
• When a Dementia Diagnosis Is Delivered Without Care (read here)
• The Indiana University Brain Health Program to deliver amyloid‐targeted therapy to Alzheimer’s disease patients (read here)
• Alzheimer’s Related Brain Changes Can Happen Years Before Symptoms Start (read here)
• How to avoid dementia — what the science really says (read here)
• Blood Biomarkers and Cognitive Testing Improve Prediction of Early Alzheimer’s Decline (read here)
• Decline of Ph.D. Admissions Could Imperil a ‘Generation of New Talent (read here)
• Tuberculosis Vaccine Changes Brain’s Immune Environment and Alzheimer’s Biomarkers in Older Adults (read here)
• GOP lawmakers push Trump’s FDA to make sure clinical trials are diverse (read here)
• Study explores how anxiety turns into deeper stress for dementia caregivers (read here)
• New Insights Into the Biological Mechanisms of Huntington’s Disease (read here)
• Speaking another language could slow ageing in the brain (read here)
• Proteome-wide Association Study Points to New Alzheimer’s Genes (read here)
• Inflammation Profiles and Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer’s Disease (read here)
• Differential associations of longitudinal hearing and vision trajectories with dementia and mild cognitive impairment in older adults (read here)
• Estimated labor market outcomes of people progressing from preclinical to early-stage Alzheimer’s disease in the United States (read here)
• KAIST: Dementia-Causing Substance Turns On a Therapeutic “Switch”​ (read here)
• How To Help Prevent Dementia if It Runs in Your Family—Experts Say Your Genes Aren’t Your Destiny (read here)
• Breakthrough in search for Motor Neurone Disease treatment (read here)
• I said yes to an Alzheimer’s blood test. Then I panicked. (read here)
• Unveiling the procoagulant state in Alzheimer’s disease: A novel PET imaging strategy (read here)
• CDC leadership continues to try manufacture a scientific debate on vaccines where none exists (read here)
• 6 Ways to Overcome Alzheimer’s Disease–Related Stigma (read here)
• Almost half of dementia cases could be prevented – but change is needed (read here)
• What is mild cognitive impairment? And does it always lead to dementia? (read here)
• New study reveals how protein behaviour drives blood–brain barrier specialization (read here)
• New Alzheimer’s blood test may tell when symptoms are around the corner (read here)
• Alzheimer’s Disease Biomarkers Can Predict Cognitive Decline in People Over 80 as Well (read here)
• 1 gene, 2 diseases: Sanders-Brown study reveals opposing dementia and cancer risks (read here)
• Before the memory fades: Scientists discover a potential early warning sign of Alzheimer’s (read here)
• FAMU-FSU Researchers Use High-Field NMR to Improve Alzheimer’s Protein Analysis (read here)

June, 2026 News

Breaking News: The LEAD Coalition and UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Issue urgent joint report on Medicaid changes

The LEAD Coalition, in partnership with UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, has released an urgent joint report alerting people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders, care partners, and their affected families that recent changes to Medicaid and other federal health programs could jeopardize access to the care and support services on which they rely. The report – Shifting Ground: What Recent Changes to Health Programs Mean for Those Living with Alzheimer’s Disease – explains in clear, accessible terms how recent changes to Medicaid may ripple through the system and affect patients and families. Specifically, there may be changes implemented in states that substantially reduce access to home- and community-based services, nursing home care, healthcare coverage, and support for family care partners.

The Shifting Ground report highlights the real-world implications of federal cuts to Medicaid funding that were enacted in 2025 (Public Law 119-21). For example, the reduction in funding could lead policymakers at the state level to make choices that create longer waiting lists for home- and community-based services, increase strain on family care partners, and reduce access to nursing home care. Shifting Ground also warns that new reporting, verification, and eligibility requirements could create significant administrative barriers for vulnerable individuals and families, increasing the risk that people who remain eligible for assistance lose access to coverage or services because of paperwork burdens or difficulties navigating the system.

The LEAD Coalition and UsAgainstAlzheimer’s are encouraging individuals and families to:

• Learn how federal Medicaid changes may affect services and supports in their state.
• Stay informed about state implementation decisions and timelines.
• Ensure their state Medicaid program has current contact information on file.
• Contact state policymakers to encourage protection of home- and community-based services.
• Share their experiences with cognitive impairment, caregiving, and Medicaid to help inform policymaking.

For additional information and what further action your organization can take, see “Provide comment to CMS on sweeping new Medicaid community engagement requirements” on the LEAD Coalition’s Take Action web page.

House Appropriations Committee advances FY2027 Labor-HHS bill with $4.5B in cuts to HHS, slight increase to NIH budget

On June 9, by a bipartisan vote of 34 – 28, the House Appropriations Committee approved the proposed Labor, Health, and Human Services appropriations bill for FY2027 (see: bill text and accompanying bill report before adoption of amendments). 

The bill proposes an overall $4.5 billion cut to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), or a reduction of 4% from the FY2026 enacted level. The bill includes:

• $48.8 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a $100 million increase from the FY2026 enacted level. 
  • The bill includes $4.518 billion for the National Institute on Aging (NIA), which is equivalent to the FY2026 level, and $2.87 billion for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), an increase of $62 million above the FY2026 enacted level. The Committee provides $25 million for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) research to NINDS (part of their $62 million plus up). 
    • Report language encourages NIA to continue its AD/ADRD investment at no less than current funding levels and highlights emerging research about the role for the lymphatic drainage system. In addition, the Committee expresses concern about regions of the country where AD/ADRD rates are significantly higher than the national average and encourages research into the genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that may contribute to these geographic disparities.
    • Report language encourages NINDS to consider approaches to address gaps in access experienced by rural populations and to incorporate the study of sex-based differences in AD/ADRD to improve women’s brain health. 
  • The bill also includes a $20 million increase for the INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndrome (INCLUDE) Initiative.
  • Report language recognizes recent efforts by interested stakeholders to develop recommendations for a new Facilities & Administrative (F&A) costs model, aimed at addressing concerns with the current “indirect costs” model and notes these efforts are a valuable contribution to the ongoing dialogue about the future of the F&A rates framework.
  • The Manager’s Amendment included a provision capping NIH’s use of multi-year grant funding at FY2025 levels, preventing the agency from expanding this funding approach in future years.
• $2.5 billion for the Administration on Community Living (ACL), equal to the FY2026 enacted level. 
  • The Committee provides $31.5 million for the Alzheimer’s Disease Program, maintaining funding at the FY2026 level. Within this funding, at least $2 million is reserved for the National Alzheimer’s Call Center.
  • Report language expresses concern about individuals with younger-onset dementias, particularly those experiencing behavioral symptoms associated with conditions such as frontotemporal degeneration (FTD). These individuals often face challenges finding appropriate long-term care and may be at risk of involuntary discharge from care facilities. To address these issues, Congress encourages ACL to develop and share best-practice guidance on dementia-capable care systems, workforce training, caregiver support, crisis response, and non-drug approaches to managing behavioral symptoms. 
• $4.1 billion for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) Program Management, equivalent to the FY2026 enacted level. 
  • Report language acknowledges that cognitive screening remains underutilized during Medicare annual wellness visits and encourages CMS to explore Medicare coverage policies that would improve access to cognitive screening tools and newer blood-based biomarker tests for Alzheimer’s disease. 
  • The Committee also acknowledges CMS’s current review of how antipsychotic medication use is measured within its nursing home quality rating system and expresses support for efforts that ensure quality measures distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate use of these medications. 
• $8.1 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a decrease of $1 billion from the FY2026 enacted level.
  • The Committee maintains funding for CDC’s AD/ADRD activities at $41.5 million and acknowledges support for the Healthy Brain Initiative.
  • Report language encourages CDC to broaden public awareness and prevention efforts to include other brain diseases that may share similar characteristics, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) and other prion diseases. 
• $7.6 billion for Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a decrease of $440 million below the FY 2026 enacted level.
  • The Committee maintains funding for the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEPs) and the Geriatrics Academic Career Awards (GACAs) Program at $48.245 million.
  • The Committee provides $8.5 million to continue the use of technology-enabled collaborative learning and capacity building models (such as Project ECHO).
• The bill proposes eliminating all funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), effectively shuttering the agency and its functions.

While the proposed reductions are concerning, the House bill rejects many of the deeper cuts included in the President’s Budget (which proposed a ~12.5% reduction or $15.8 billion cut to HHS). Notably, the bill also excludes provisions to reorganize HHS to align with the structure outlined in the President’s Budget, (i.e., establishment of the Administration for a Healthy America). 

While this is a significant step forward in the appropriations process, it is far from complete. The Senate Appropriations Committee has not released its draft bill, and the House and Senate will need to reconcile differences through negotiations. Final funding levels and policy provisions will not be determined until after negotiations are complete and a final bill is enacted. The LEAD Coalition continues to advocate for all proposals in its FY 2027 appropriations letter, which has the support of 475 organizations and leading researchers.

GAO releases report on the implementation of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) announced the release of the report GAO-26-108498: National Alzheimer’s Project: HHS Needs to Better Assess and Communicate Progress. This report was developed by reviewing the activities associated with the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA), a federal initiative established in 2011 through P.L.111-375 and reauthorized in 2024 to coordinate Alzheimer’s disease research, care, and services across the country. NAPA is overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 

Although GAO commends HHS for significant scientific and care advances, the report concludes that HHS has not adequately measured or communicated NAPA’s overall progress. GAO makes four recommendations to HHS: 

1. Provide the implementation status of individual recommendations, including what actions federal agencies have taken in response to each one.
2. Establish project-level near-term goals for each of the National Plan’s long-term goals, including performance measures, quantitative targets, and time frames for achieving results. 
3. Collect and use performance information to assess progress toward both the near-term and long-term goals and use that information to guide management decisions and adjust project activities as needed.
4. Communicate progress in a clear, digestible format for stakeholders.

The GAO acknowledges that the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) has no direct funding to support its responsibilities for leading the NAPA project and that this may present a barrier to ASPE implementing the GAO recommendations. The LEAD Coalition has urged Congress to provide ASPE with a direct appropriation to support NAPA (see: FY 2027 letter). A summary of the GAO report is available here.

HHS announces Federal Elder Justice Action Plan and the EJCC’s “Never EVER” campaign to protect older Americans

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Elder Justice Coordinating Council (EJCC), has announced the Federal Elder Justice Action Plan, a government-wide strategy to protect older Americans’ rights, strengthen accountability, and make help easier to find. HHS also launched “Never EVER,” a national campaign that advances the Action Plan’s prevention goals by helping people recognize and avoid government and business imposter scams. Chaired by the HHS Secretary, the EJCC brings together seventeen federal departments and agencies to strengthen collaboration, advance elder justice nationwide, and protect older adults’ dignity, independence, and financial security. The Action Plan builds on the EJCC’s 2014 Eight Recommendations with measurable steps to prevent harm, disrupt exploitation, hold bad actors accountable, and connect older Americans to help. Financial exploitation, including imposter scams, is one of the urgent threats the Action Plan seeks to address. Research estimates that roughly one in ten older adults’ experiences abuse, neglect, or exploitation each year. Scammers often impersonate government agencies or well-known businesses to pressure people into giving up money, account access, or personal information. Some schemes also create safety risks by pushing victims to withdraw cash, transfer funds, or meet someone in person. Adult Protective Services programs receive approximately 1.3 million reports each year, while family caregivers often carry the financial, physical, and emotional burden when an older loved one is left without the resources they need. Despite the scale of the problem, many cases of abuse, neglect, and exploitation are never reported.

HHS announces Operation TrialBlazer to accelerate drug development and enhance clinical trials; FDA immediately launches several activities tied to initiative 

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced a significant and broad initiative entitled “Operation TrialBlazer,” aimed at reducing the time required to deliver new, promising therapies to patients. The initiative emphasizes faster regulatory interactions, improved coordination among government, industry, academia, and patient groups, and broader use of advanced data-driven approaches throughout the clinical development process. The initiative involves close coordination across several HHS agencies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – particularly the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) – and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). 

As part of this initiative, the FDA has announced several activities aimed at accelerating drug development. For early-stage clinical research, the FDA is proposing a pilot program that would create a network of qualified research institutions to help sponsors design and launch first-in-human trials more efficiently. The FDA is also promoting model-informed drug development, artificial intelligence, real-time data analysis, and other modern approaches to reduce delays, improve dose selection, enhance safety monitoring, and shorten the time between drug discovery and clinical testing. For later-stage drug development, the FDA is updating key regulatory guidances to provide greater flexibility in demonstrating drug effectiveness and conducting clinical trials. Notably, the agency revised its draft guidance on substantial evidence of effectiveness, clarifying that in some cases a single well-controlled pivotal trial combined with strong confirmatory evidence may be sufficient for approval. 

Although many experts and advocates support taking steps to reduce inefficiencies and advance delivering cures to patients, the research community cautions that faster development could weaken standards for safety and efficacy. Industry participants have also emphasized the need for consistent FDA review practices and clear expectations regarding evidence requirements. HHS has indicated that it intends to maintain standards for safety and scientific rigor. 

For more information on these changes, please read publications from Reuters and STAT. Please review the LEAD Coalition’s Take Action page for several opportunities to provide comment on FDA’s proposed changes.  Additional opportunities – including a forthcoming Request for Information from the HHS Office of Inspector General tied to this initiative – will be posted on the Take Action page as they become available.

NIH launches new office to promote NAMs and reduce reliance on animal studies

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced the creation of the Office of Research Innovation, Validation, and Application (ORIVA) to speed the development and use of human-based research technologies across NIH. ORIVA will coordinate NIH-wide efforts to develop, validate and scale New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) including 3D human tissue models, computational tools, and other animal-free methods that can better reflect human biology. The office will also serve as a hub for interagency coordination and regulatory translation (note that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration also is promoting NAMs). Housed in the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI) in the NIH Office of the Director (OD), ORIVA will take a two-pronged approach. One division will support innovations in the research community by developing new funding opportunities, research infrastructure, and training resources. The other will coordinate a multi-agency effort to facilitate the evaluation and acceptance of new research methods. 

CHCS releases issue briefs on implementation of Medicaid work requirements

The 2025 budget reconciliation bill (Public Law 119-21) introduced new federal Medicaid work requirements for certain members. Implementing this policy poses challenges for state Medicaid agencies, including an increased risk of coverage disruptions for non-exempt members. However, states can take proactive steps to help mitigate these risks. The Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) has released a new series of issue briefs examining key details about the new requirements and offers practical approaches to support implementation that minimizes administrative burden and is informed by the experiences of Medicaid members. Issue briefs in this series include:

• Improving Applicant and State Staff Experiences During Federal Medicaid Work Requirements Implementation: This brief offers practical strategies, informed by state staff and civic technologists, to help states implement federal Medicaid work requirements, with a focus on usability, iteration, and application design. 
• Building Nimble Procurement Approaches for State Medicaid Tech Systems: This brief draws on Alaska Medicaid’s experience as leader in procurement agility, having invested in this transformation for almost a decade. It outlines best practices states can use to improve their processes within existing procurement authorities. 
• Data and Analytic Approaches for Medical Frailty Exemptions to Federal Medicaid Work Requirements: This brief draws on lessons from experts at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Aspen Institute, and Katch Strategies on data and analytic approaches for the medical frailty exemption. It shares considerations to help streamline state adoption of the medical frailty exemption and minimize Medicaid application and renewal barriers for medically frail members. 
• Aligning Work Requirements Across SNAP and Medicaid to Support Public Benefit Continuity: This brief compares key features of the work requirements in SNAP and Medicaid, and outlines strategies for state Medicaid agencies, SNAP-administering organizations, and other stakeholders to coordinate implementation across both programs. 
• Strengthening Cross-Agency Collaboration Across Medicaid and Other State Partners to Support Work Requirements Implementation: This brief outlines opportunities for Medicaid agencies to collaborate with partners in labor, education, corrections, SNAP, TANF, and other agencies to successfully address implementation challenges and maintain member coverage. 
• Connecting Medicaid Members to Work: Expanding Access to Evidence-Based Employment Models: This brief outlines the evidence behind general workforce and supported employment programs and includes resources state agencies can use to prepare for work requirements implementation. 
• Engaging Medicaid Members and Community-Based Organizations in Medicaid Work Requirements Implementation: This brief outlines approaches states can use to partner directly with Medicaid members and community-based organizations in implementing work requirements that reflect community input and minimize coverage disruptions. 
• A Summary of Federal Medicaid Work Requirements: This brief synthesizes key details of the new federal Medicaid work requirements, including timeline, populations impacted, exemption categories, and more. 

Consortium launches HCBS Impacts Tracker Project

State Medicaid programs are facing increased budget pressure from federal policy changes, including over $900 billion in reduced federal Medicaid funding due to the 2025 budget reconciliation bill (Public Law 119-21). Based on evidence from past major reductions of federal Medicaid funds, many states are likely to respond by cutting optional services like Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), which are crucial in supporting older adults and people with disabilities to live in their homes and communities. Some states already are proposing and implementing HCBS cuts. 

A consortium (led by the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health Hirsh Health Law and Policy Program, the Human Services Research Institute, the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston, and ATI Advisory) has launched the HCBS Impacts Tracker Project to track policy changes states propose or implement in their HCBS programs and to measure the impacts of those changes on older adults and people with disabilities. During its initial phase, the project will develop the methodology for tracking and pilot a tracking tool. This planning grant will inform the next phase of this project: establishing a sustainable, national resource with real-time information for use by policymakers, advocates, researchers, and people with lived experience to track Medicaid HCBS policy shifts and their impacts at a state and national level. The HCBS Impacts Tracker will be updated biweekly. National, state, or local organizations may use the HCBS Information Collection Form to inform the consortium about proposed or implemented HCBS changes that are missing from the HCBS Impacts Tracker. Questions or comments may be submitted to HCBSTracker@gwu.edu.

LEAD Coalition welcomes Cognivue as new member organization

The LEAD Coalition recently welcomed Cognivue as its newest member organization. Cognivue is a pioneer in digital cognitive assessment and brain health innovation. As the developer of the first FDA-cleared Digital Cognitive Assessment (DCA), Cognivue helped establish and advance a category that is increasingly important as healthcare systems seek scalable approaches to earlier cognitive evaluation and Alzheimer’s disease risk identification. Unlike traditional paper-and-pencil assessments that simply have been digitized, Cognivue utilizes proprietary adaptive psychophysics, machine learning-driven test personalization, reaction time analysis, visual salience measurements, and motor control calibration to tailor each assessment to the individual patient while minimizing confounding factors, reducing administrator bias, and improving consistency across testing environments. The platform provides age-adjusted scoring, evaluates four cognitive domains through ten subtests, and incorporates processing speed and reaction time measurements to objectively characterize cognitive performance. In addition to providing objective cognitive performance data, Cognivue includes the Cognivue Amyloid Risk Measure (CARM), the first published DCA capability shown to predict the likelihood of amyloid pathology using cognitive performance data alone. Through multiple peer-reviewed publications and real-world implementation studies, Cognivue has demonstrated the value of a two-stage screening approach that combines cognitive assessment and biomarker testing to help identify individuals who may benefit from additional evaluation, blood-based biomarker testing, or specialist referral, while also providing reassurance to those whose performance is consistent with expected cognitive function at the time of testing. Cognivue also has helped pioneer brain health assessment in allied healthcare environments, particularly audiology and hearing healthcare, bringing cognitive screening closer to where patients already receive care. By meeting patients where they are and helping guide appropriate next steps, Cognivue is working to transform cognitive assessment from a point-in-time test into a practical pathway for earlier answers, earlier intervention, and more informed decision-making for patients, families, and healthcare providers.

American Brain Coalition shares MCI webinar series recordings

Recordings are available for the American Brain Coalition (ABC) three-part webinar series on Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). The series brought together individuals living with MCI, care partners, clinicians, researchers, advocates, and community leaders to explore critical issues surrounding brain health, cognitive impairment, patient care, and innovation. LEAD Coalition member and allied organizations along with other interested organizations are encouraged to share the recordings as educational resources for individuals and organizations seeking to better understand MCI and support those at risk for or affected by cognitive impairment.

Session 1: Understanding MCI: The Clinical and Lived Experience, featured panelists:

• Alireza Atri, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer at Banner Health
• Ron Petersen, MD, PhD, Cora Kanow Professor of Alzheimer’s Disease Research at Mayo Clinic
• Rev. Cynthia Huling Hummel, DMin, Advocate living with MCI 

Session 2: Managing MCI: Clinical and Community Perspectives, featured panelists:

• Kyra O’Brien, MD, MS, Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania Pearlman School of Medicine
• Annalise Rahman-Filipiak, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University Michigan Medical School
• Jay Reinstein, Advocate living with MCI

Session 3: Promoting Brain Health and Innovation, featured panelists:

• Heather Snyder, PhD, Senior Vice President of Medical & Scientific Operations at the Alzheimer’s Association
• Catherine Patterson, MPP, Acting Chief Operating Officer at UsAgainstAlzheimer’s
• Pamela Price, BS, RN, Deputy Director, The Balm In Gilead

The LEAD Coalition’s Executive Director, Ian Kremer, JD, served as moderator for each session. 

The webinar series was made possible through the generous support of Eli Lilly and Eisai and was guided by a distinguished Steering Committee representing the Alzheimer’s Association, The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD), Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, Dementia Society of America, LEAD Coalition, Lewy Body Dementia Association, and UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. Through initiatives such as this webinar series, the American Brain Coalition remains committed to advancing brain health education, raising awareness, and fostering collaboration across the neuroscience and patient advocacy communities.

Dementia will cost the U.S. $818 billion in 2026

A new study from the U.S. Cost of Dementia Project, finds Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders will cost the United States an estimated $818 billion in 2026, driven largely by often-overlooked costs to persons living with dementia and to the family and friends providing their care. In addition to medical and long-term care costs, the cost model (see the methods paper) accounts for factors often not captured in other estimates of dementia’s economic toll, such as diminished quality of life, lost earnings for people with dementia and care partners, and extensive unpaid care provided by family and friends. The 2026 estimate comes from a multi-year research project, funded through a cooperative agreement with the National Institute on Aging, quantifying annual U.S. dementia costs, and reflects advances made since the 2025 inaugural report. Key findings include:

• Dementia population: 5.7 million Americans are living with dementia in 2026, including 5.1 million who are ages 65 and older.
• Quality of life impact: Reduced quality of life among people with dementia—marked by declines in cognition, function and independence—represents the largest cost at $320 billion. Informal care partners experience an additional $15 billion in quality-of-life losses related to emotional and physical strain.
• Unpaid caregiving: About 5.2 million people, often in their prime working years, provide 6.8 billion hours of unpaid care to a family member or friend with dementia, valued at $237 billion.
• Medical care costs: Long-term and medical care costs for people with dementia total $222 billion. Medicare and Medicaid cover about 70% ($154 billion), while patients and families pay 20% ($46 billion) out of pocket.
• Lost wages: People with dementia and their care partners forgo $23 billion in annual earnings.

The project aims to provide the most comprehensive accounting yet of dementia’s economic impact while strengthening the ability of researchers and decision makers to address it. Tracking changes in dementia costs over time, including shifts in who bears those costs and when, can help inform resource allocation and treatment decisions. The cost model incorporates large, nationally representative datasets, including the Health and Retirement Study and administrative health data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Researchers use dynamic microsimulation to project how new treatments, care models and policies will affect future dementia costs, including often-hidden impacts on well-being and finances. The cost model is informed by public health leaders, healthcare providers, and the experiences of people with mild cognitive impairment and care partners of people living with dementia, which are shared through panel discussions organized by the Alzheimer’s Association.

New report shines light on rural family caregivers

The National Alliance for Caregiving and Lutheran Services in America have released Rooted in Care: Transforming the Future for Rural Family Caregivers, a new report highlighting the realities facing more than 12.6 million rural caregivers across the country. The data tell a clear story. More than half of rural caregivers provide 21 or more hours of care each week, nearly 88% report moderate to high emotional stress, and more than half report high financial stress. For rural caregivers, geographic isolation, limited access to services, and under-resourced communities mean they are carrying an even heavier load, often invisibly. Their resilience is extraordinary. But resilience alone is not a policy solution. Federal and state leaders must invest in caregiver supports, strengthen the direct care workforce, expand access to home and community-based services, and ensure caregivers are recognized as essential partners in care. 

NCOA issues research series on AI use in HCBS

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) has issued a new research series examining the promises and risks of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in home- and community-based care that helps older Americans and individuals with disabilities live independently. The three-report series, A New Era of Care, explains what AI is, where it is already being used in home care, and what safeguards are needed to ensure that the technology strengthens—but does not replace—the human touch of home care. The home- and community-based services (HCBS) sector is already innovating with AI, the research shows. Some providers are adopting AI-powered tools to improve safety and monitoring—such as sensors, fall-detection systems, and predictive analytics. Others are using AI to streamline operations, including hiring, training, communication across care teams, reporting, and claims processing. Yet, providers universally report that there are key risks that must be addressed. These include:  

• Privacy and consent: Weak safeguards can expose or misuse sensitive client and worker data.
• Accuracy and reliability: False positives/negatives and generic outputs can waste time or cause harm. 
• Bias and uneven outcomes: Tools may perform worse for disabled people, older adults, or rural communities and can treat groups differently. 
• Human connection: Over-automation can erode judgment, autonomy, and relationship-based care. 
• Usability and workflow: Poor design or poor integration can add tasks and increase stress.
• Compliance and liability: Errors can trigger HIPAA, Medicaid/Medicare, labor, and contractual risks if outputs are not vetted. 

Together, these reports are intended to start a broader conversation about the role of AI in direct care, offering early insights and considerations to help states, providers, and partners thoughtfully explore how these technologies can support the workforce and the people they serve.

Additional Reads

• Women with Parkinson’s More Prone to Alzheimer’s Pathology (read here)
• The 1 Thing I Did To Help Ease the Pain of My Mother’s Alzheimer’s for Both of Us (read here)
• Inflammation profiles in Alzheimer’s disease relate to cognition and neurodegeneration (read here)
• 5 million have dropped ACA insurance after Trump and the GOP let prices skyrocket (read here)
• Proposed Rule Would Curtail Medicaid State Directed Payments (read here)
• Atrophy in preclinical Alzheimer’s disease maps to a network that predicts longitudinal decline (read here)
• New Alzheimer’s drugs offer hope for some, but good dementia care protects the humanity of those they cannot help (read here)
• Detecting Alzheimer’s disease in its early stages could be possible (read here)
• Plasma GDF15 affects long-term dementia risk and alters neuroimmune signaling (read here)
• Plasma Proteome Offers Clues to Risk and Resilience in APOE4 Carriers (read here)
• Diet and Brain Health: What the Science Says About Food, the Gut, and Dementia Risk (read here)
• Whole-System Trust in Science, Medicine, and Public Health (read here)
• America’s Infrastructure To Support Older Adults Is In Limbo (read here)
• Diet Quality and Dementia Risk in Older Adults With Alzheimer Pathology (read here)
• Why does the brain become more vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease with age? (read here)
• New mechanism found for neuronal death in Alzheimer’s and frontotemporal dementia (read here)
• Study flags medication risk during aged care transition (read here)
• The simple life changes that can prevent your cognitive decline (read here)
• Protect Your Hearing. Protect Your Brain. (read here)
• How Caregivers Can Keep People With Dementia Engaged (read here)
• What to Do When Dementia Patients Lose Inhibitions (read here)
• Dementia care: how praise can help – and when it can miss the mark
  (read here)
• The Alzheimer’s crisis hits rural America hardest (read here)
• Study finds estrogen-based hormone therapies could protect brain health in older women (read here)
• What the New No Surprises Act Final Rule Means for Providers and Insurers (read here)
• Worried About Your Aging Parents? Welcome to the Caregiving Club (read here)
• Health equity researchers fear unseen level of scrutiny under White House proposal (read here)
• Could nighttime light affect brain health? UK researchers investigate Alzheimer’s links (read here)
• How your sleep habits team with your genes to determine Alzheimer’s risk (read here)
• Pet visits bring “a small moment of home” to long-term care, study finds (read here)
• Personality may shape how caregiving affects health (read here)
• New Imaging Technique Reveals the Brain’s Waste-Removal System in Action (read here)
• Stopping Alzheimer Disease (read here)
• Clinical pathways matter for multimodal deep learning in early Alzheimer’s disease detection (read here)
• Associations of stable psychological traits with multi-omic subtypes of Alzheimer’s dementia (read here)
• ‘It’s pure joy’ – How silent discos can transform dementia care (read here)
• Digital speech‐based markers to advance prognosis in Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• External validation of dementia risk prediction models in the EPIC-Norfolk cohort: a UK-based cohort study (read here)
• Can Better Sleep Lower Dementia Risk? What the Science Says (read here)
• Sickly Sweet? Sugary Proteins Abound in AD Brain, May Worsen Dementia (read here)
• Fish oil supplements may not prevent Alzheimer’s-related decline (read here)
• IRA’s $2,000 out-of-pocket cap helped Medicare patients access expensive drugs, study finds (read here)
• NIH diversity programs doubled undergraduates’ odds of getting a Ph.D., 20-year study finds (read here)
• Can a Blood Test in Midlife Predict Your Alzheimer’s Risk? (read here)
• Follow the tau: This brain protein presents a possible path to earlier Alzheimer’s diagnosis (read here)
• Are Older People with Brain Diseases More Likely to Have TBI? (read here)
• USC study finds key Alzheimer’s risk factor may behave differently in Hispanic older adults (read here)
• Omics signature of new-onset mild cognitive impairment and dementia in a population-based study (read here)
• I’m an Alzheimer’s specialist. I still missed it in my own father (read here)
• Your Guide to Alzheimer’s Blood Tests: Pricing, Accuracy, and Where to Get One (read here)
• Retinal photographs can help predict Alzheimer’s disease risk factors (read here)
• The OMB and the Politicization of Science (read here)
• Trump proposes putting political goals above objective criteria in deciding who gets government grants, from childcare to research to public safety (read here)
• As states follow Trump’s Medicaid fraud playbook, people with disabilities struggle to find care (read here)
• Copper drug restores memory and clears toxic Alzheimer’s proteins (read here)
• IU collaboration to use AI in identifying possible drug targets for Alzheimer’s patients (read here)
• Hospital-treated infection associated with Alzheimer’s disease pathology: underlying mechanisms (read here)
• Loneliness Drives Cognitive Impairment, Can Lead to Shorter Life, Study Suggests (read here)
• Dementia care: Re-envisioning the role of music (read here)
• I’ve spent 40 years in research. I have never seen a threat to science like the new grantmaking rule (read here)
• Final Rules for Medicaid Work Requirements Are Out. Here’s What You Need To Know. (read here)
• How Exercise Protects the Brain (read here)
• Evidence builds for the role malfunctioning protein removal systems play in neurodegenerative diseases (read here)
• The word Dementia should be retired (read here)
• International Researchers React to NIH Scrutiny of Foreign Coauthorship (read here)
• Brain workouts both inside and outside school walls may shape dementia risk
  (read here)
• The midlife habits that could make or break your brain health long-term (read here)
• Microglia Open a Metabolic Pipeline for Active Neurons (read here)
• Alzheimer’s risk: What you can change (read here)
• How to talk to someone who has dementia (read here)
• High ultra-processed food consumption linked to increased dementia risk (read here)
• Several CVD conditions, risk factors linked to Alzheimer’s risk, notably low blood pressure (read here)
• Smartphone Tests Spot Cognitive Decline Faster than Standard Method (read here)
• Study links joint pain supplement to accelerating dementia (read here)
• Donanemab Shows Durable Amyloid Clearance and Consistent Safety in Early-Start Patients (read here)
• Driving Hope and Discovery in Alzheimer’s Research for Those Most at Risk (read here)
• Effective use of hearing aids may help reduce dementia risk in older adults (read here)
• ‘You’re treated like this is the end’: Meet the dementia rebels – diagnosed and determined to change people’s minds (read here)
• Postoperative Delirium Stands Out as Major Predictor of Cognitive Decline (read here)
• Loneliness Linked to Worse Memory, but Not Faster Cognitive Decline (read here)
• Hay fever, antihistamines and the evidence on dementia risk (read here)
• Network based statistics associates increased connectivity to REM sleep disorder and hallucinations in early DLB (read here)
• How hospital admission affects persons with dementia (read here)
• Kennedy Shows Minimal Engagement With Vast Health Portfolio
  (read here)
• Midlife hypertension and late-life cognition: weighting the LifeAfter90 study (read here)
• Social Factors Shape Diabetes, Dementia Risk Across Populations (read here)
• New drug could slow the development of Alzheimer’s (read here)
• Intraindividual cognitive variability predicts amyloid beta, tau PET, and dementia conversion in Down syndrome: a potential marker of cognitive resilience (read here)
• Tiny HHS office tasked with protecting research participants’ safety is running on fumes (read here)
• Favorable lifestyle and health linked to lower dementia risk even in people with a genetic risk factor (read here)
• Flu drugs show promise against cognitive decline, aging-related diseases (read here)
• Antibody fragment prevents haemorrhages associated with new Alzheimer’s treatments (read here)
• Closing The Gap In Alzheimer’s Care (read here)
• Researchers identify a key biological tipping point in Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• Could a Common Eye Bacteria Be Linked to Alzheimer’s? (read here)
• Struggle sleeping? These three common sleep habits tied to signs of brain aging, U of A study finds (read here)
• Advancing the Use of Dynamic Tools in Drug Development: The US FDA’s Fit-For-Purpose Initiative (read here)
• Drug companies, patient groups urge FDA to pause commissioner’s voucher program (read here)
• As dementia cases rise, UF researchers develop a breakthrough AI tool to improve diagnosis accuracy (read here)
• Genetics for high pulse pressure associated with higher risk of dementia-related death (read here)
• Air pollution may be harming your brain’s ‘encyclopedia’ (read here)
• Researchers identify over 90 genetic loci linked to Alzheimer’s disease risk (read here)
• Trump administration to strip job protections of top NIH officials, grants staff (read here)
• Psychological course could be game changer for carers of people with dementia (read here)
• Exploring automated plasma phospho-tau217 assays for the diagnosis of Down syndrome-related Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• Short RNAs may prevent neuron death linked to ALS, dementia (read here)
• CMS Requires More Restrictive Definition of Medical Frailty in New Medicaid Work Requirements Rule (read here)
• White House Seeks to Impose Political Test on Billions in Federal Grants (read here)
• High-Dose Flu Vaccine Linked to Lower Alzheimer’s Risk (read here)
• New tools for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease (read here)

May, 2026 News

FDA approves Axsome Therapeutics’ Auvelity to treat agitation associated with dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an expanded use for Auvelity (AXS-05) extended-release tablets to treat agitation associated with dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease in adults. The drug, which targets the N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) and sigma-1 receptors, is the first FDA-approved treatment for this condition that is not an antipsychotic. 

The FDA approval of Auvelity is supported by a comprehensive clinical program which included the Phase 3 ADVANCE-1 and ACCORD-2 studies. ADVANCE-1 (NCT03226522) was a five-week trial in which participants received either Auvelity or a placebo. The primary endpoint was the change from baseline to week five in the total score of the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI), a survey that assesses the frequency of manifestations of agitated behaviors in elderly patients, based on caregiver reports. Auvelity was significantly superior to placebo in the CMAI score improvements.

ACCORD-2 (NCT04947553) was a withdrawal study in participants who responded to Auvelity. Upon reaching a sustained clinical response to Auvelity, patients were randomly assigned to continue treatment with Auvelity or switch to placebo. The primary endpoint was time to relapse. Participants who continued Auvelity treatment had a significantly longer time to relapse of agitation symptoms compared to patients receiving the placebo.

The FDA granted breakthrough therapy designation and priority review designation for this action. The approval of Auvelity for agitation associated with dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease was granted to Axsome Therapeutics. For additional information, read Axsome Therapeutics’ press release. 

LEAD Coalition submits comments to RFI on NIH-wide strategic plan framework

CMS announces six-month Medicare enrollment moratoria on new hospice providers and HHAs 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the implementation of a six-month, nationwide moratoria on Medicare enrollment for new hospice providers and home health agencies (HHAs). According to the administration’s press release, the moratoria are intended to “allow CMS to temporarily halt the influx of new providers into these high-risk categories—a key source of fraudulent activity.”

While acknowledging the importance of combatting fraud, advocacy groups (e.g., National Alliance for Care at Home, American Hospital Association) have expressed concern about the moratoria, calling for the administration to take a narrow, data-driven approach to identify the small number of bad actors. HHAs and hospice providers are a critical part of care transitions, especially in rural and underserved communities; limiting activities of these entire categories of providers could have drastic consequences for patients and families. 

Two Federal Register Notices (CMS-6101-N for HHAs, and CMS-6102-N for hospice programs) provide additional information on the moratoria. The moratoria do not apply to home care agencies nor restrict currently-enrolled hospice providers and HHAs from delivering care to new and existing patients.

IHS releases videos supporting its clinical dementia training series

The Indian Health Service (IHS) Alzheimer’s Programs recently rolled out a series of videos as part of their Clinical Dementia Training Series. The series helps health care professionals in IHS, tribal and urban clinics learn how to better screen for dementia, detect early signs, diagnose, treat, and support ongoing care for American Indian and Alaska Native people in ways that respect cultural practices and values. Three new videos include: 

• Every Moment Matters: Timely Dementia Detection Helps Protect Our Stories and Our Loved Ones discusses the importance of timely dementia detection through personal stories and insights. It explains how an earlier diagnosis can provide precious time and opportunity for additional treatment and care. This video features the Jackson family, who describe the journey of dementia with their mother and the importance of early diagnosis. 
• Advance Care Plans: Honoring Wishes and Traditions shares provider and family perspectives about the importance of advance care planning and how to begin conversations.
• Supporting Accurate and Timely Dementia Diagnosis in the Indian Health System showcases IHS’s work to improve recognition and timely detection of dementia. Various IHS programs and pilots are described to help health systems and communities get involved.

Act for NIH updates fact sheet on multi-year funding 

Act for NIH has updated its fact sheet on multi-year funding (also known as “forward funding”). This resource describes the damaging effects of transitioning National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding to a multi-year approach without compensatory increases in the overall NIH budget. Multi-year funding results in far fewer promising grant proposals receiving funding, which slows medical progress and reduces competitiveness in the global research and development arena.

According to the analysis, greater use of multi-year funding contributed to a 21.8% decrease in new competing grants between FY 2024 and FY 2025. Additionally, the expanded use of multi-year funding has led to a significant reduction in new grants for Alzheimer’s disease, Type 1 diabetes, and cancer research, while also diminishing the overall support available for early-stage investigators.

AAMC releases new data brief on NIH multi-year funding

The Association for American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has released a new data brief on multi-year funding of National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants. The brief provides insight on the evolving use of this funding mechanism since fiscal year (FY) 2024. In its analysis, the AAMC found that in FY 2025, the NIH used multi-year funding for twice as many competitive research project grants (RPGs) as in FY 2024. Thus far in FY 2026 (October 1, 2025 – May 15, 2026), the NIH has used the mechanism to award over $400 million to 601 competitive RPGs, reflecting a vastly accelerated pace as compared with FY 2024 and 2025. 

Given that the use of multi-year funding results in a decrease in the funding available for grants in a given fiscal year, the research community is concerned about the mechanism’s overall impact on application success rates and the total number of NIH awards. Congress shares these concerns and restricted the portion of NIH FY 2026 appropriations that can support multi-year funding commitments (i.e., not to exceed FY 2025 levels). Though NIH has yet to exceed FY 2025 levels, the current funding pace suggests the need for continued vigilance and careful data tracking. To provide ongoing data and insights, the AAMC continues to monitor data points related to NIH funding on the Tracking NIH Funding data dashboard, which is regularly updated and available at aamc.org/nihfunding.

SWHR compiles advocacy and policy resources for Women’s Health Month

May is Women’s Health Month and the Society for Women’s Health Research has compiled valuable policy and advocacy resources to support partners in bolstering engagements in the women’s health space. These include: 

• The SWHR legislative tracker, which details the latest bills moving through Congress on a wide range of women’s health topics. 
• The Understanding Sex Differences in Medical Research Fact Sheet, which outlines how biological differences – from the cellular to the societal level – between males and females influence health, disease, and treatment outcomes.
• From Awareness to Action: A Guide to Women’s Health Advocacy, designed to empower advocates with tools, strategies and information needed to effectively champion women’s health (see: accompanying video series). 
• SWHR Policy Resource Page, housing information about federal comment opportunities, communications with Congress, and SWHR’s policy priorities. 

Women’s Health Month Kickoff LinkedIn Post, in which SWHR sparked discussion with the thoughtful question “What does closing the women’s health gap look like?”.

ADI launches interactive Alzheimer’s Disease Atlas

Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) has launched its interactive Alzheimer’s Disease Atlas (see the user guide), providing a data-driven look at the global impact of, and response to, Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders (AD/ADRD). The Atlas offers all country-reported dementia case numbers, treatments and national plan status. Atlas users can delve into single country insights, compare country data, and download PDF reports. Fragmentation of data, resources, innovation, and policy are major barriers to progress, so the Atlas’ data-led insights hold the potential to help policy-makers, non-governmental organizations, researchers, and other interested parties better recognize and address AD/ADRD. Thus far, the Atlas includes data for 80 countries. The Atlas has been created and developed in collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company. Please contact atlas.feedback@alzint.org with comments or questions about the Atlas.

ADI and WHO report on progress implementing the Global Action Plan on the Public Health Response to Dementia

At the World Health Organization’s World Health Assembly, Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have launched the 2026 edition of From Plan to Impact. This report tracks WHO Member States’ progress towards implementing the targets of the Global Action Plan on the Public Health Response to Dementia.

One year on from the extension to the Global Action Plan, progress remains gradual with the total of National Dementia Plans rising slightly since 2025 from 45 to 47. This translates to 32.2 percent of the 146 Member State target, and only 24.2 percent of all 194 Member States who agreed to implement plans in 2017. The Maldives, Ukraine, Poland, Argentina, and Peru have passed their first national dementia plans since May 2025 and 20 countries (18 Member States) are developing plans. For additional information, watch the report launch video.

New infographic describes the importance of Medicaid HCBS

The National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS), the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD), and ADvancing States, have shared a new infographic on the purpose, value, and impact of Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS). This resource includes an overview of key services, facts, and figures on HCBS utilization and spending, and trends and growth through rebalancing efforts. Nearly five million Medicaid enrollees utilize HCBS on an annual basis. These services are especially critical for individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders (AD/ADRD), as approximately one in four individuals living at home with AD/ADRD relies on Medicaid, and become more essential as cognitive impairment advances.

White paper provides policy recommendations to address older adult malnutrition 

The Defeat Malnutrition Today (DMT) Coalition has released an update on policy actions to reduce malnutrition in older adults. In 2017 – and again in 2020 – DMT and the Malnutrition Quality Improvement Initiative collaborated with aging experts to design a National Blueprint for Achieving Quality Malnutrition Care for Older Adults. This framework guided stakeholders in healthcare delivery and policy in the actions needed to advance prevention, identification, treatment, research, and public health action towards malnutrition in older adults. The new white paper, Advancing Malnutrition Care Quality for Older Adults: Progress, Gaps, and Strategic Recommendations toward Achieving the 2020 National Blueprint, assesses progress, gaps, and recommendations towards achieving the 2020 National Blueprint. The white paper notes four priority areas for action: 

• Expand nutrition-focused quality measures across settings
• Strengthen workforce capacity
• Improve infrastructure for seamless transitions
• Unite stakeholders under shared evidence-based frameworks.

LBDA offers free online video course “Navigating Cognitive Changes in Lewy Body Dementia”

The Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA) has launched a new Lewy Learning Center course designed to help individuals living with Lewy body dementia (LBD) and their care partners better understand the cognitive changes associated with the disease. Through a series of shorter video lectures, Unpacking Cognition in Lewy Body Dementia provides practical, easy-to-follow guidance to help learners navigate the complexities of LBD together. Users explore cognitive symptoms such as attention deficits along with thinking and visual perceptual changes, and learn how they impact daily life. The course offers practical strategies to manage these challenges, improve communication, and enhance interactions between those living with LBD and their care partners. 

Additionally, LBDA’s Tip Jar provides answers to commonly asked questions about the disease. Site visitors and welcome to submit additional questions; questions that address common concerns or topics of interest may be selected to be added to LBDA’s video FAQ library.

Cure Alzheimer’s Fund awards third annual Morby Prize

Cure Alzheimer’s Fund recently announced recipients of the third annual Jeffrey L. Morby Prize. Established in 2024, the Morby Prize is awarded annually to the senior and first authors of a recent scientific publication that transforms the fundamental understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and opens new paths to translate scientific results into effective ways to prevent, diagnose, or treat the disease. The Morby Prize is named in honor of the late Co-Founder of Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, Jeffrey L. Morby, who inspired the nonprofit’s mission 22 years ago to fund research as a path to ending Alzheimer’s disease.

Senior co-author Randall J. Bateman, M.D., and first co-author Kanta Horie, Ph.D. (both of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis), along with senior co-author Oskar Hansson, M.D., Ph.D., and first co-author Gemma Salvadó, Ph.D. (both of Lund University, Sweden), were selected by their peers for their paper “Plasma MTBR-tau243 biomarker identifies tau tangle pathology in Alzheimer’s disease,” (open access) published in Nature Medicine in March 2025. The paper describes MTBR-tau243, the first scalable, accurate biomarker that can be assessed in blood to indicate whether someone has Alzheimer’s-specific tau pathology in their brain. In years to come, MTBR-tau243 testing could be a transformative tool for diagnosing and staging an individual’s Alzheimer’s disease, bringing the promise of precision medicine closer to reality.

Celebrating Older Americans Month: Champion Your Health

Celebrated every May, Older Americans Month (OAM) is led by the Administration for Community Living (ACL). Established in 1963, OAM is a time to recognize older Americans’ contributions, highlight aging trends, and reaffirm commitments to serving older adults in our communities. This year’s theme, “Champion Your Health,” focuses on prevention, wellness, and personal responsibility as cornerstones of healthy aging. It encourages older adults to take an active role in their health — advocating for themselves, accessing preventive care, and making informed decisions that support independence. This Older Americans Month, communities and individuals alike can take steps to champion health and advance healthy aging. 

How can community groups, businesses, and organizations mark OAM?

• Promote OAM through newsletters, meetings, and social media channels.
• Invite community members to share stories and reflections using #ChampionYourHealth.
• Highlight practical tips and trusted resources that support prevention and healthy aging.
• Elevate local programs and events that help older adults stay healthy, active, and engaged.

How can individuals take charge of their health at every age?

• Stay up to date on preventive care and screenings.
• Build and maintain social connections that support emotional well-being.
• Choose nutritious, minimally processed foods.
• Incorporate regular physical activity to maintain strength and mobility.
• Practice daily habits that support mental health and resilience.

For more information and downloadable materials, visit acl.gov/oam and join the conversation using #OlderAmericansMonth.

Additional Reads

• Proposed NDAs for federal workers spark diverse backlash (read here)
• Your brain’s ‘night shift’: How sleep clears ‘waste,’ may protect against dementia (read here)
• New Study Finds Clues of Alzheimer’s Beginnings (read here)
• UC Davis launches first long-term U.S. study led by nurses on humanoid robots in dementia care (read here)
• Can an Alzheimer’s Blood Test Detect Early, Subtle Cognitive Decline? (read here)
• Brain imaging study highlights ethnoracial differences in dementia (read here)
• Getting a Diagnosis When Cognitive Problems Are a Concern (read here)
• Virtual Reality Could Pinpoint Early Signs of Alzheimer’s (read here)
• Trump administration proposes NDAs for all federal workers (read here)
• Memory decline after menopause linked to loss of estrogen production in brain tissue (read here)
• Experimental Gene Therapy Shields Brain from Toxic Protein Damage (read here)
• Severe Bacterial Infections Linked to Higher Dementia Risk (read here)
• Alzheimer’s-linked protein found to shape long-term memories (read here)
• Doing puzzles and joining clubs could help you age well: new research (read here)
• A Marathon, Not a Sprint: The Long Road to Becoming the Next FDA Commissioner (read here)
• Blocking a Molecular Switch Keeps Microglia Working After Stroke (read here)
• Research team uncovers how heart attacks can trigger toxic chain reaction linked to depression & anxiety (read here)
• AI Retinal Imaging Targets Earlier Alzheimer’s Detection (read here)
• House Energy and Commerce Committee Advances Bipartisan Alzheimer’s Workforce Bill (read here)
• Finding the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• The oscillatory biology of sleep: Linkage to dementia (read here)
• Immuno-infrared Sensor Detects Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s in Blood (read here)
• Study reveals hidden role of brain fats in Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• Could a dementia drug help treat alcohol withdrawal? UK researchers explore possibility (read here)
• Sex Differences in Dementia Risks Reveal Stronger Cognitive Impacts in Women (read here)
• Quitting Smoking Linked to Lower Dementia Risk (read here)
• Congressional Democrats try to force a vote to end Medicare AI prior authorization pilot (read here)
• The Brain’s Night Shift: How Sleep, Waste Clearance, and Dementia May Be Linked (read here)
• How the brain gets out of balance with Alzheimer’s: UOC researchers develop an index to measure the progress of the disease (read here)
• NIH behind in filling top roles, with 15 of 27 institutes led by acting directors (read here)
• Genetic risk of Alzheimer’s disease is associated with loss of brain network segregation in midlife (read here)
• States sue over new student loan limits on certain nursing and healthcare degrees (read here)
• At a time of tumult at FDA, a former commissioner is hopeful it’s on a better path (read here)
• Study finds dementia risk factors could depend on which country you live in (read here)
• Is China’s ‘Alzheimer’s Surgery’ Too Good to Be True? (read here)
• Predicting categorical and continuous Alzheimer’s disease outcomes from a single MRI scan (read here)
• Poor Sleep Tied to Alzheimer’s Risk in Older Women (read here)
• Dopamine Deficiency Found to Drive Memory Impairment in Alzheimer’s Disease (read here)
• Improving Prediction of Alzheimer’s Disease with AI (read here)
• Proton Pump Inhibitors Versus H2 Blockers and the Risk of Incident Dementia in Adults Younger Than 65 (read here)
• Marty Makary misunderstood something fundamental about the FDA (read here)
• How to cut your dementia risk by a third in just 12 weeks (read here)
• Identification of genetic modifiers of autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease: a genome-wide association study  (read here)
• After Makary departure, CDER chief Tracy Beth Høeg likely headed out at FDA: report (read here)
• Researchers investigate whether dementia tests miss signs in autistic adults (read here)
• End-Stage Alzheimer’s: Symptoms, Causes of Death, and End-of-Life Care (read here)
• If Too Much S-Acylation Is Bad, Too Little May Be as Well (read here)
• Efficacy and safety of DMB-I (latrepirdine) therapy in mild to moderate dementia in Alzheimer’s disease: results of a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial in three parallel groups (read here)
• Healthier brains may be more resilient to early Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• Combined Sensory-and-Motor Function Score May Help Assess Cognitive Impairment Often Underlying Dementia (read here)
• Dementia: everything you need to know now (read here)
• Juli Chenault on Recognizing the Early Signs of Dementia (read here)
• House Subcommittee Acts to Expand Dementia Training for Health Care Providers (read here)
• 28 Organizations Call on Congress to Prioritize Funding for Women’s Health Research (read here)
• Harm from missing incidents among people with dementia (read here)
• Alzheimer’s therapeutic breakthroughs may be financially inaccessible (read here)
• Everyday air pollution linked to poorer brain function, study finds /(read here)
• Adults 85+ and Those With Dementia Choosing Assisted Living (read here)
• Most dementia patients have multiple brain diseases. How should they be treated? (read here)
• Bilingualism and sex hormones may provide a new link to brain resilience and dementia risk (read here)
• New Genetic Risk Factor Identified for Rare Form of FTD (read here)
• Where Nobody Grieves Alone: Building Community to Reduce Isolation and Stigma Around Grief (read here)
• Roche receives CE mark for new blood test to detect Alzheimer’s pathology: Elecsys® plasma phosphorylated-tau 217 (pTau217) (read here)
• Alzheimer’s Association Launches (re)think your brain to Drive Early Action on Brain Health (read here)
• Incidence and Prevalence of Dementia With Lewy Bodies (read here)
• New research identifies how obesity alters brain lipids to accelerate Alzheimer’s progression (read here)
• Parkinson’s-Linked Protein May Drive Faster Alzheimer’s Progression in Women (read here)
• Lifelong cognitive enrichment is linked to a 38 percent lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• Investigational Stem Cell Therapy Aims to Stabilize Alzheimer’s Disease Progression (read here)
• Medicare is spending far less than expected on new Alzheimer’s drugs (read here)
• Single‐cell transcriptomic analysis reveals APOE genotype‐dependent sex differences in Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• Trump reportedly plans to fire FDA Commissioner Makary (read here)
• Update on FDA Priority Review of LEQEMBI® IQLIK™ (lecanemab-irmb) Subcutaneous Injection as a Starting Dose for Early Alzheimer’s Disease (read here)
• International AI-assisted audit finds fabricated references in nearly 3,000 peer-reviewed medical articles (read here)
• Determining the Effects of Lifestyle Factors Including Smoking, Alcohol Consumption, Physical Activity, and Diet on the Risk and Progression of Dementia: A Systematic Review (read here)
• People living with dementia and their families need clear guidance when weighing choices of new Alzheimer’s treatments (read here)
• Studying these young Alzheimer’s patients led to breakthroughs. Trump cut the funding (read here)
• Using the body’s own sounds to diagnose Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s before the first symptoms appear (read here)
• Lipofuscin Ingredients Tie Neurodevelopment to Degeneration (read here)
• Physicians’ perceptions and treatment practices for agitation associated with Alzheimer’s dementia vary by specialty in Japan (read here)
• New Study Links Type 1 Diabetes With Increased Dementia Risk (read here)
• Ambiguous loss: a peculiar kind of grief in dementia care (read here)
• Mayo Clinic Study Identifies Age Breakpoints for Alzheimer Disease Markers (read here)
• Alzheimer’s Disease blood biomarkers measured through remote capillary sampling correlate with cognition in older adults (read here)
• At-home blood test and brain testing could screen people for dementia risk (read here)
• Global snapshot of Alzheimer’s research offers new hope (read here)
• Minnesota’s Building Bridges Choir using music to help seniors with memory loss (read here)
• Earlier Answers, Better Care: How Expanded Access to Alzheimer’s Testing Can Change Lives (read here)
• Ultrasensitive test detects biomarkers for specific form of dementia (read here)
• Immigration changes are driving foreign researchers to leave the U.S. — or not come to begin with  (read here)
• New Research Shows Primary Care Training Improves Dementia Detection (read here)
• Having multiple falls nearly doubles risk of dementia, study finds (read here)
• Managing your weight may keep your brain healthier for longer (read here)
• For the first time, the direction of neural signals in the brain has been determined noninvasively from neuronal spontaneous activity using functional MRI (read here)
• WashU Medicine researchers to build AI tools to boost Alzheimer’s research  (read here)
• Alzheimer’s disease immunotherapy and the amyloid hypothesis: when aggregation obscures interpretation (read here)
• New study links adult hardships and childhood abuse to higher dementia risk (read here)
• FDA approves 1st non-antipsychotic medication for agitation in Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• Somatic Mutations Surface in Alzheimer’s and Related Diseases (read here)
• Alzheimer’s and Genetics: What Your Family History Really Means for Your Risk (read here)
• Study shows brain training can reduce Alzheimer’s and dementia risk by 25 percent (read here)

April, 2026 News

LEAD Coalition submits FY2027 Appropriations letter to Congress

The LEAD Coalition has submitted its FY2027 appropriations letter to Congress. The letter, signed by 475 LEAD Coalition member organizations and allies, urges Congress to reassert our country’s non-partisan national priority to overcome Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders (AD/ADRD) by making robust appropriations for federal agencies and ensuring complete and timely expenditure of those funds for Congressionally-designated purposes. Requests include: 

• HHS ASPE: A direct appropriation to support the implementation of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act 
• NIH: At least $51.3 billion for the agency; an $187,210,000 increase for AD/ADRD research at NIH; $468 million for the NIH BRAIN Initiative; an increase for the NIH INCLUDE Project; limits on multi-year funding; preserve current or explore alternative model for F&A costs.
• CDC: At least $41.5 million to support the CDC Alzheimer’s Disease efforts and robust funding for the CDC National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP)  
• ACL: An increase for the ACL Alzheimer’s Disease Program and an increase for Older Americans Act (OAA) Programs
• HRSA: At least $58.245 million for the HRSA Geriatrics workforce programs 
• AHRQ: At least $500 million for AHRQ
• FDA: An increase for the FDA to keep pace with its new scientific opportunities, including $7 million for the Neurology Drug Program (NDP)
• CMS: An increase for CMS to support current and emerging AD/ADRD resources
• DOJ: An increase for the Missing Alzheimer’s Disease Alert Program

LEAD Coalition member and allied organizations are encouraged to use the letter to support their efforts to educate Congress and the public about the urgency to continue the momentum toward the National Alzheimer’s Plan goals and each organization’s own commitment to advancing science, care and support, and public health.

HHS releases NAPA National Plan 2025 Update

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease: 2025 Update, highlighting progress on Alzheimer’s Disease and related disorders (AD/ADRD) research, care, and services. The National Plan Update (or “Update”), released annually, serves as a roadmap of strategies and actions of how HHS and its partners can accelerate innovative research, improve care and supports for people living with dementia and their care partners, and promote dementia risk reduction strategies. 

The current Update recognizes 2025 as a year of transition and addresses the short format of the document, trimmed to highlight “the most important activities in the most impactful areas of the National Plan,” rather than a comprehensive accounting of all federal government activities currently underway to address AD/ADRD.. It celebrates the significant progress toward the goal to prevent and effectively treat AD/ADRD by 2025, including that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two drugs to slow cognitive decline related to AD and cleared two minimally-invasive blood tests to detect the presence of biological hallmarks of AD. The update also provides an overview of new work already undertaken or planned for 2026. For example, the Update notes that HHS plans to solicit input from people living with these diseases, caregivers, care providers, and other partners across the country to refocus the National Plan, revisit and update the goals, and establish a new framework for the next decade’s work.

President’s budget proposes funding cuts to public health, research, and health services programs

Late last week, the White House released the President’s discretionary budget proposal for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027. The proposal and companion documents call for a ~12.5% reduction— $15.8 billion—to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), continuing a pattern of proposed downsizing in public health spending. Similar to the FY2026 proposal, the FY2027 budget plan also emphasizes agency and program consolidation and seeks to establish the new Agency for a Healthy America (AHA), which Congress previously rejected. 

Under the President’s proposal, several components of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would be eliminated or consolidated into AHA. Specifically, the proposal removes Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion programs from CDC and either eliminates them or folds them into AHA. Only $448 million (or $985 million below FY2026 CDC enacted levels) is recommended for these activities at AHA. The CDC Alzheimer’s Disease Program would be moved to AHA and its funding reduced to $35 million, a $6.5 million decrease from FY2026 levels. For programs that remain at CDC, the proposal recommends $5.5 billion, representing a $3 billion cut to the agency’s programs and activities. Similar changes would affect the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), as the proposal seeks to eliminate or merge critical workforce and service programs.

The budget proposal also would consolidate the Administration for Community Living (ACL) into the Administration for Children, Families, and Communities (ACFC) and eliminate funding for programs including Area Agencies on Aging. It also slashes funding for the ACL Alzheimer’s Disease Program, recommending $17 million for these activities (a ~53% reduction from FY26 levels).

The President’s budget proposal recommends a $5 billion cut to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and structural changes at NIH, building on earlier failed congressional proposals to consolidate institutes and narrow research priorities. The proposal seeks to maintain the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) as separate entities, recommending a roughly 7% cut for both institutes. 

The budget proposal includes an additional $1 billion above FY2026 levels for the Indian Health Service (IHS), intended to ensure high-quality service delivery, staff newly opened facilities, and provide services to newly-recognized tribes. The proposal also includes $7.2 billion, a $215 million increase, for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and $21 million, a $8 million increase, for the 340B Drug Pricing Program, transferring the program from HRSA to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). 

As with previous presidential budgets, this proposal functions as a statement of policy priorities and not as a binding fiscal plan, with actual funding levels determined by Congress, through the appropriations process. Additional details can be found in the following documents: 

• HHS Budget in Brief
• Administration for a Healthy America Congressional Justification
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Congressional Justification
• National Institutes of Health Congressional Justification
• Food and Drug Administration Congressional Justification

Alzheimer’s Association publishes annual Facts and Figures report and special report on lifelong cognitive health

The Alzheimer’s Association has released its 2026 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report and infographic, providing an in-depth look at the latest U.S. statistics on Alzheimer’s incidence, prevalence, mortality, costs of care, and impact on care partners. Among the findings:

• 7.4 million people aged 65 and older are living with clinical Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050, this number is projected to rise to nearly 13 million.
• Total annual spending on caring for people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias (excluding unpaid care) is projected to be $409 billion in 2026, and nearly $1 trillion in 2050.
• Nearly 13 million family members and friends provide 19 billion hours of unpaid care, valued at an additional $446 billion, bringing current total costs of care to more than $850 billion.
• The lifetime risk for Alzheimer’s at age 45 is 1 in 5 for women and 1 in 10 for men.

The accompanying special report, Brain Health in America: Understanding and supporting lifelong cognitive health, provides new insight into how Americans understand, prioritize, and act on the desire to sustain brain health across their lives. The findings highlight Americans’ strong interest in protecting their brain health, and the need for clearer, practical guidance on how to do it. The report also highlights:

• Most people believe lifestyle behaviors such as diet, physical activity and sleep play an important role in maintaining brain health, but fewer connect these behaviors with reducing dementia risk.
• Midlife is viewed as the prime time to begin addressing cognitive health through flexible, self-guided brain health programs.
• Most adults want guidance about brain health from their doctors, but these conversations are uncommon.
• People face gaps in knowledge, access, and system-level frameworks to protect their brain health. There is a need for coordinated, research-backed programming that meets individuals where they are and helps them take meaningful action to support brain health across the lifespan.
• The Alzheimer’s Association has begun to work with stakeholders to offer programs and initiatives informed by the U.S. POINTER study at a variety of touchpoints. This approach moves beyond individual decision-making to shape the environments where people live, work, and receive care.

CMS and FDA announce RAPID coverage pathway to accelerate patient access to life-changing medical devices

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have announced the Regulatory Alignment for Predictable and Immediate Device (RAPID) coverage pathway to expedite access to certain FDA-designated Class II and Class III Breakthrough Devices for people with Medicare. The RAPID coverage pathway allows CMS and the FDA to work together earlier in the technology development lifecycle so that evidence generated for FDA review can support Medicare coverage decisions. By aligning regulatory and coverage expectations early in the device development process, the RAPID coverage pathway is designed to reduce delays and duplication, improve efficiency, and provide increased transparency to innovators.

Under the RAPID coverage pathway, CMS will issue a proposed National Coverage Decision (NCD) the same day an eligible device participating in this pathway receives FDA market authorization, triggering the statutorily required 30-day public comment period. This streamlined approach could enable predictable Medicare national coverage and payment as soon as two months after market authorization, compared to approximately a year or more under the current pathway, helping Medicare beneficiaries access new technologies sooner while increasing transparency, predictability, and cost savings for innovators and clinicians.

A proposed procedural notice outlining the RAPID coverage pathway will soon be published in the Federal Register. The public will have 60 days to provide comments on the procedural notice. CMS will respond to public comments in a subsequent final notice. The effective date of the new pathway is expected to occur upon publication of the final notice in the Federal Register. Interested parties should look to the upcoming Federal Register publication for details on the RAPID coverage pathway and how to provide comments. When this opportunity becomes available, details will be posted on the LEAD Coalition Take Action webpage.

For more information, please read the AdvaMed press release and STAT coverage.

AARP report measures economic value of family caregiving    

AARP recently released Valuing the Invaluable 2026, a report illustrating the true value of family caregiving in America. Using new methods that reflect the full range and intensity of caregiving tasks, the analysis reveals the growing demands placed on caregivers and the substantial value of their work. The findings are striking: an estimated 59 million Americans are caregivers of adults, providing 49.5 billion hours of care annually (averaging 27 hours/week) for older parents, spouses, neighbors, and other loved ones. These hours are the equivalent of nearly 24 million full-time workers, roughly 17% of the entire U.S. full-time workforce and would be valued at $1.01 trillion annually if paid in the marketplace ($20.41/hour). This figure exceeds total federal, state, and local Medicaid spending nationwide ($932 billion), and almost doubles all out-of-pocket health care spending. 

The report includes state-by-state estimates of the number of caregivers, total hours of care provided, overall economic value, and the average hourly value of care. Across states, the estimated value of caregiving ranges from $14.12 per hour in Louisiana to $27.05 per hour in Washington State, reflecting regional differences in wages and the cost of care. 

AARP is leading numerous federal and state advocacy efforts to save caregivers money and time and offer support, including by working to advance the Credit for Caring Act (H.R.2036/ S.925), legislation that would provide financial relief to eligible working family caregivers through a $5,000 nonrefundable federal tax credit to help offset caregiving expenses, and the Lowering Costs for Caregivers Act (H.R.138 / S.1565), a bill to allow family caregivers to use their health savings account or flexible spending account for qualified medical expenses of a parent or parent-in-law. The LEAD Coalition recently signed onto a letter in support of the passage of the Lowering Costs for Caregivers Act. 

For additional details about the report, please read AARP’s press release and article.

NIH continues modified peer review practices adopted during 2025 shutdown

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has published a notice (NOT-OD-26-069) regarding the continuation of select peer review practices, first implemented after the October 2025 appropriations lapse. Due to the large volume of peer review meetings that were missed during the the six-week federal government shutdown in October and November, the following modifications were made to peer review practices for applications submitted for the January 2026 and May 2026 Advisory Councils: 

1. For most review meetings, only 30-35%, rather than approximately 50%, of applications will be discussed
2. Applications deemed by reviewers to be in the “middle third” of applications (based upon initial scoring) will be designated as “competitive but not discussed” and will be considered for funding, along with the discussed applications. Applications in the “lowest third” will be designated “not competitive and not discussed.”
3. Summary statements will be simplified; narrative paragraphs summarizing committee discussion will not be used. 

In addition to this notice, a recent NIH blog published by Bruce Reed, acting director of the Center for Scientific Review (CSR), describes how NIH peer review has changed since all operations were removed from individual Institutes and Centers and centralized in CSR in early 2025. Dr. Reed asserts that centralized NIH peer review has strengthened efficiency, competition, and transparency, although challenges do remain. The blog does not address the substantial reduction in review staff and resulting loss of expertise in the review process.

NIH releases informational notices regarding SBIR/STTR awards

Following the reauthorization of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs in early April (S.3971), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a series of notices detailing policy changes and implementation requirements set out in the new legislation. Federal agencies have set a maximum limit on the number of SBIR and STTR applications (9) that a given Small Business Concern (or entity, including its affiliates) can submit across the Department of Health and Human Services per fiscal year (NOT-OD-26-073). Other notices describe policy changes to the Foreign Risk Due Diligence program (NOT-OD-26-074) and changes related to discretionary technical and business assistance funds (NOT-OD-26-075). 

A recent NIH Extramural Nexus blog provides more details on the status of the NIH SBIR/STTR programs. Notably, although the agency can resume issuing noncompeting awards (i.e., additional budget years of previously-approved, multi-year grants), it will take time for NIH to solicit and award new SBIR/STTR applications.

Public health leader Dr. Erica Schwartz announced as nominee for CDC director

Nearly eight months after Susan Monarez was dismissed from the role, President Trump has nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz to be director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Schwartz is a board-certified doctor of preventative medicine, served as deputy surgeon general during the first Trump administration, and spent much of her career in health roles in the U.S. military. She received her medical degree from Brown University in 1998 and completed a Masters of Public Health degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in 2000. She also has a law degree and was admitted to the bar in the District of Columbia.

Though her education and extensive federal service are expected to garner support among lawmakers, Dr. Schwartz must secure support from the Senate to be confirmed for the role. The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), chaired by Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), will play an essential role in determining whether her nomination advances– and she is likely to face pointed questions from Senator Cassidy about whether she can maintain scientific independence and effectively advocate for evidence-based public health guidance. The timeline for related hearings has not been announced; National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, is serving as acting CDC director on a part-time basis.  . 

Accompanying the Schwartz nomination, President Trump announced three appointments to public health roles within the CDC and the broader Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which do not require Senate confirmation: 

• Sean Slovenski, former president of Walmart Health & Wellness, as CDC deputy director and chief operating officer
• Dr. Jennifer Shuford, Texas state health commissioner, as CDC deputy director and chief medical officer 
• Dr. Sara Brenner, currently principal deputy commissioner at the Food and Drug Administration, will become senior counselor for public health to HHS Secretary Kennedy.

NINDS launches Advisory Council on Parkinson’s Research, Care, and Services 

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) has established the new Advisory Council on Parkinson’s Research, Care, and Services (ACPRCS), a Federal advisory committee charged with providing advice to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Parkinson’s-related issues. The Council is mandated by the Dr. Emmanuel Bilirakis and Honorable Jennifer Wexton National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act, which called for a Council to inform an integrated national plan to prevent, diagnose, treat, and cure Parkinson’s, ameliorate symptoms, and slow or stop progression. The scope of the Council and the National Plan includes Parkinson’s Disease as well as all other neurodegenerative Parkinsonisms, such as multiple system atrophy, corticobasal degeneration, progressive supranuclear palsy, and Parkinson’s-related dementia. 

Through its inclusion of both Federal and public members, the ACPRCS will help to ensure that a wide range of ideas and perspectives are represented and discussed in a public forum. The Council consists of thirteen Federal members and ten non-Federal members, who include people living with Parkinson’s, caregivers, health care providers, researchers, and representatives from advocacy organizations. Non-federal members were selected by the HHS Secretary following an open nomination process. The inaugural meeting of the Advisory Council on Parkinson’s Research, Care, and Services will be webcast live on HHS Live Streaming on Monday, June 29th from 10:00am to 4:00pm ET.

CMS Accountable Health Communities Model final report published

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published the final external evaluation report for the Accountable Health Communities (AHC) Model. The AHC Model operated between 2017 and 2023 and navigated Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries who screen positive for at least one of five core needs related to their upstream drivers of health, referred to as “core needs.” The five core needs were housing instability, food insecurity, transportation problems, utility difficulties, and interpersonal violence. The final evaluation report found that the AHC Model:

• Decreased total costs by 3% for Medicaid beneficiaries and 4% for Medicare beneficiaries, generating more than $200 million in net savings
• Reduced hospitalizations for Medicaid members by 3%
• Reduced ambulatory-care-sensitive hospitalizations for Medicare members by 8%
• Reduced avoidable emergency department visits by 3% among Medicaid beneficiaries and by 5% among Medicare beneficiaries

The evaluation report also found that the impacts of the AHC Model were stronger for Medicaid beneficiaries with multiple needs and for Medicare beneficiaries with transportation needs.

FDA begins implementing Adverse Event Monitoring System 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has begun implementing the Adverse Event Monitoring System (AEMS) to consolidate multiple, disparate reporting systems currently used across all FDA-regulated product categories, including medical products, vaccines, devices, tobacco, food, cosmetics, and veterinary medicines. This unified platform is designed to enhance data quality and consistency through standardized reporting protocols, streamline reporting processes to reduce administrative burden on both internal FDA staff and external stakeholders, and strengthen safety surveillance capabilities through advanced case processing workflows, AI-based redaction and digitization tools, enhanced analytics, and comprehensive cross-product surveillance.

Beyond adverse event reporting, AEMS will serve as a centralized platform for managing consumer complaints, regulatory misconduct reports, and whistleblower submissions across all FDA centers.  This comprehensive approach will enable more effective safety monitoring, facilitate trend identification across diverse product categories, and support timely regulatory decision-making to protect public health through improved data integration and analysis capabilities.

The FDA AEMS Public Dashboard is a highly interactive web-based tool that will allow for the querying of AEMS data in a user friendly fashion. The intention of this tool is to expand access of AEMS data to the general public to search for information related to human adverse events reported to the FDA by the pharmaceutical industry, healthcare providers and consumers. 

For additional details about AEMS, click here.

FDA reminds more than 2,200 sponsors and researchers to disclose trial results

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has reminded more than 2,200 medical product companies and researchers of the requirements to submit certain clinical trial results information to ClinicalTrials.gov. The messages seek voluntary compliance with requirements. The FDA also may send Pre-Notices of Noncompliance and Notices of Noncompliance as part of risk-based compliance efforts

Companies and researchers often fail to disclose negative trial results, resulting in significant gaps in the public record and a publication bias that obscures the true landscape of drug development outcomes According to an internal analysis, 29.6% of studies that are highly likely to fall under mandatory reporting requirements have no results information submitted. Studies subject to the mandatory reporting requirements include interventional studies with a U.S. nexus and an FDA-regulated product that are past the deadline to report; it excludes Phase 1 and device feasibility studies.

Policy brief highlights how Medicaid HCBS improves outcomes while lowering costs

The Community Living Policy Center, an affiliate of the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at Brandeis University, has published a new policy brief highlighting research on the value of Medicaid home and community based services (HCBS). The brief summarizes major findings from decades of research, which demonstrates that access to high-quality HCBS improves outcomes and reduces overall health care costs. Key findings include:

• On average, Medicaid HCBS cost less than nursing homes and institutional settings.
• Transitioning individuals from nursing homes and institutional settings back to the community improves outcomes and achieves cost savings.
• Shifting systems away from reliance on nursing homes and institutional settings, and improving access to HCBS, reduces costs over time.
• Unmet needs for HCBS contribute to worse community living and health outcomes, driving higher overall healthcare costs.
• High-quality, person-centered planning and care coordination more efficiently meet needs and desires of HCBS beneficiaries, producing better health and community living outcomes.

Additional Reads

• Tracking the turning point in Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• Securing NIH awards is getting more competitive — and confusing (read here)
• KU Medical Center to receive $5 million from state legislature to build Kansas Brain Health Assessment Network (read here)
• System changes to empower primary care in Alzheimer’s disease detection and care (read here)
• Study finds three distinct patterns of cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• Half of older patients with dementia remain on psychotropic drugs a year after starting on them (read here)
• Brain health shaped by lifetime mental, physical, environmental and lifestyle factors (read here)
• At what age does Alzheimer’s disease begin? Mayo Clinic study points to changes decades before symptoms (read here)
• Study sheds new light on impact of Alzheimer’s screening for caregivers and family members (read here)
• The Trump Administration Aims to Penalize Disabled Adults Who Live With Their Families (read here)
• Want to Cut Your Alzheimer’s Risk by 38%? An 8-Year Study of Nearly 2,000 People Says Do This for a Stronger Brain (read here)
• Trump fires NSF’s oversight board (read here)
• Decoding Alzheimer’s Disease (read here)
• Unique markers of neurodegenerative disease mapped in blood, spinal fluid (read here)
• Anemia Linked to Elevated Alzheimer’s Blood Biomarkers, Greater Dementia Risk (read here)
• Rapidly progressive dementia: A standardized definition (read here)
• Not all Alzheimer’s leads to dementia (read here)
• How geneticists uncovered a common root of two neurological diseases (read here)
• Severe strokes linked to 5 times higher dementia risk (read here)
• How a chemical reaction triggers brain inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• Dopamine Deficiency Found to Drive Memory Impairment in Alzheimer’s Disease (read here)
• Mutations in the “translators” of the human cell alter the reading of the genetic code in cancer and ageing (read here)
• Expanding The GUIDE Model To Include Adults With Intellectual Disability And Dementia (read here)
• CMS Proposes Major Changes To Drug Prior Authorization Processes: What You Need To Know (read here)
• Digital Reminiscence App Could Reduce Grief and Improve Relationships Between Dementia Patients and Caregivers (read here)
• Poor Sleep May Raise Dementia Risk in People with Epilepsy (read here)
• Want to reduce your risk of dementia? Pick up an instrument or take a foreign trip (read here)
• Study identifies network of autoantibodies in neurodegenerative diseases (read here)
• Key GOP senators push back on Trump’s plan to cut NIH, reorganize HHS (read here)
• In Alzheimer’s disease, cancer mutations accrue in brain’s immune cells (read here)
• Donor Support Powers New $15M Investment in 62 Scientists Tackling Alzheimer’s, Macular Degeneration, and Glaucoma (read here)
• A Promising Study Suggests a Blood Test Could Spot Alzheimer’s Early in Progression (read here)
• Study shows links between Alzheimer’s and gut health can lead to prevention (read here)
• Early Immune Changes May Signal Increased Risk of Alzheimer’s & Dementia (read here)
• Novel 3D brain marker predicts surgical success in dementia-causing hydrocephalus (read here)
• Mini Brain-like Structures Grown in Lab May Help Scientists Treat, Diagnose and Stage Alzheimer’s Disease (read here)
• Cognitive Decline Preceding Incident Cardiovascular Events in Older Adults (read here)
• Repurposing drugs for the prevention of vascular dementia using evidence from drug target Mendelian randomization (read here)
• Why Some Brains with Alzheimer’s Stay Sharp (read here)
• SIRT6 Regulates Brain Protein Balance and Aging (read here)
• How to Avoid Delirium After Surgery (read here)
• Anemia and Blood Biomarkers of Alzheimer Disease in Dementia Development (read here)
• Dysfunction of the episodic memory network in the Alzheimer’s disease cascade (read here)
• $12 million NIH grant supports study of Alzheimer’s risk factors (read here)
• Trump taps former public health leader Erica Schwartz to run CDC (read here)
• Strong social health linked to better brain function and resilience (read here)
• Acetylated Tau, a Marker for … TDP-43 Pathology? (read here)
• Facing Alzheimer’s fear, patients say yes to blood tests (read here)
• UCF Study Suggests Some Alzheimer’s Symptoms May Begin Outside the Brain (read here)
• Longer Reproductive Span Linked With Slower Rates of Cognitive Decline (read here)
• High-salt diet linked to faster memory decline in men, ECU study finds (read here)
• Bringing Community Back to Families Living with Dementia (read here)
• The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) Hosts First Capitol Hill Briefing: “Frontotemporal Degeneration: Shining a Light on a Little-Known Dementia” (read here)
• The moment dementia begins is not the diagnosis (read here)
• New Drug for Rare Childhood Dementia Wins FDA Accelerated Approval (read here)
• Optimism may lower dementia risk (read here)
• Study Finds How People Approach Test Problems—Not Just How Many Answers They Get Right—Can Help Predict Future Dementia Risk (read here)
• Plasma phosphorylated tau 217 and longitudinal trajectories of Aβ, tau, and cognition in cognitively unimpaired older adults (read here)
• APOE4, the Alzheimer’s risk gene, silently undermines bone quality in women (read here)
• Hospital delirium a ‘red flag’ for severe health decline (read here)
• FDA pushes drugmakers to report missing clinical trial results (read here)
• Automated Imaging Differentiation for Dementia (read here)
• Study Links Common, Treatable Ear Conditions to Higher Odds of Dementia and Finds Treatment May Help (read here)
• Memory trajectories in lonely individuals in Europe: an analysis of the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) (read here)
• How Neighborhood Amenities and Infrastructure May Slow Cognitive Decline Among Older Immigrants (read here)
• High Schooler Identifies 2 FDA-Approved Drugs as Potential New Alzheimer’s Treatments (read here)
• Smoking may spark lung-to-brain reaction tied to dementia, study finds (read here)
• Lipids, Lysosomes, and Plaques: How ABCA7 Nudges Up Alzheimer’s Risk (read here)
• High-quality plant diets protect against Alzheimer’s, even when started late at life (read here)
• From Breakthrough to Delivery: The Work Ahead (read here)
• Music therapy in memory care: What the research says (read here)
• Two Women Changing the Dementia Narrative (read here)
• Diagnosing Dementia: Neuroimaging Technique Could Speed Detection (read here)
• Trajectories of plasma and CSF MTBR-tau243 and phosphorylated-tau species across the Alzheimer’s disease continuum (read here)
• New drug combination doubles down on Alzheimer’s treatments (read here)
• The OpenAI Foundation’s New Alzheimer’s Effort Helps Demystify ‘AI Will Cure All Diseases’ (read here)
• Trump administration drops court fight to cap NIH payments for research overhead costs (read here)
• Study Finds Persistent Lack of Diversity in U.S. Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials (read here)
• This simple springtime activity is surprisingly good for your brain (read here)
• How to Approach the Final Stage of Alzheimer’s (read here)
• New research shows that tau protein spreads through connected neurons in people with Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• Childhood dementia cause in the crosshairs (read here)
• Epidemiological and clinical evidence on blood pressure management for the prevention of dementia: striving for a healthy 100-year life (read here)
• A new study shows simple ways to avoid dementia (read here)
• Study: Alzheimer’s Screening Tools May Work Differently for Women and Men (read here)
• Speech and language in healthy ageing and Alzheimer’s dementia (read here)
• The Alzheimer’s Prevention Trial Has No Finish Line — Until Now (read here)
• Researchers show physical and social environmental exposures shape biological brain age worldwide (read here)
• Why your job’s complexity level may affect your risk of dementia (read here)
• Why Widespread Testing for Alzheimer’s Is Essential (read here)
• Health insurers score major win with higher 2027 Medicare Advantage rates (read here)
• Early dementia signs include ‘risky’ behavior that shouldn’t be ignored (read here)
• Surprising links between autism, Alzheimer’s could change how we treat both (read here)
• A new type of dementia is forcing doctors to rethink memory loss (read here)
• ‘Music is like vitamins:’ Singing circle offers support for people with dementia (read here)
• NIH would get $5 billion cut under Trump’s 2027 budget, but Congress unlikely to go along (read here)
• How an Alzheimer’s Risk Gene Disrupts Brain Circuits Long Before Memory Loss (read here)
• Target product profiles for treatments to delay or prevent symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• Research Shifts Toward Shared Mechanisms in Neurodegenerative Diseases (read here)
• Research advocates prepare for next NIH budget fight (read here)
• Co designed intervention shows promise for improving mental health discharge for people with dementia, research finds (read here)
• Uncovering a Genetic Driver of Rare Early-Onset Dementia (read here)
• Simple blood test could spot dementia years earlier, research shows (read here)
• Higher vitamin D levels may be linked to lower levels of Alzheimer’s biomarkers (read here)
• People Who Can’t Afford Dental Care May Be at Higher Risk of Developing Cardiovascular Disease, Dementia (read here)
• New Study Led by SPHHS’ Krystal Kittle Sheds Light on Health Disparities of Bi+ Dementia Caregivers : UMass Amherst (read here)
• Risk of Alzheimer’s dementia significantly reduced after high-dose influenza vaccination compared to the standard dose, study finds (read here)
• Association of Circulating Vitamin D in Midlife With Increased Tau-PET Burden in Dementia-Free Adults (read here)
• Adding eMTBR-Tau243 to %p-Tau217 Sharpens AD Diagnosis (read here)
• One year after HHS layoffs, a department in disarray (read here)
• SuperAgers show unique cell signatures in the brain (read here)
• New Polling Reveals Strong, Sustained Bipartisan Opposition to Medical Research Funding Cuts (read here)
• Welch Calls on GAO to Investigate How Trump’s Cuts to Research Funding Endanger America’s Public Health, Leadership in Science and Tech (read here)

March, 2026 News

LEAD Coalition Supports Passage of the ASAP Act

On March 9, the LEAD Coalition (Leaders Engaged on Alzheimer’s Disease), the Alzheimer’s Association, and the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM) – along with 449 signatories – wrote to Congress in support of the bipartisan Alzheimer’s Screening and Prevention (ASAP) Act (H.R. 6130 / S.3267). This bipartisan legislation aims to ensure timely access to innovative screening tests that can detect Alzheimer’s disease and related forms of dementia in their earliest stages.

Under current law, Medicare can cover only preventive services that Congress has specifically authorized or that are recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). This process can delay coverage for years after screening tests receive Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. The ASAP Act modernizes that process by authorizing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide Medicare coverage for FDA-approved or cleared blood-based biomarker tests for the early detection of Alzheimer’s and other dementias. For more information about the ASAP Act, read the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement press release and the ASAP Act Fact Sheet.

CDC forecasts FY2026 AD/ADRD funding opportunities 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced forecasted funding opportunities (CDC-RFA-DP-26-0227) to support public health efforts addressing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. These opportunities include three components:

1. National Healthy Brain Initiative:
   • Funds up to two (2) organizations to develop and implement public health strategies guided by the HBI Road Map Series. 
   • Funding range: $2,500,000 to $3,000,000 per 12-month budget period.
   • Funded organizations will: 
     • Develop evidence-informed training for health care and public health professionals on ADRD and caregiving.
     • Expand the availability and use of public health surveillance data, including adaptation & revision of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) subjective cognitive decline and caregiver optional modules.
     • Facilitate the coordination of recipients and national partners to address AD/ADRD.
2. BOLD Public Health Centers of Excellence:
   • Funds three (3) Centers, each specializing in one of three topic-specific areas: dementia risk reduction, early detection and management of dementia, or dementia caregiving. 
   • Funding range: $750,000 to $1,000,000 per 12-month budget period. 
   • Centers will: 
     • Support the needs of the BOLD public health program and other public health agencies. 
     • Identify, disseminate, and promote best practices. 
     • Translate promising research into practical tools and resources.
     • Increase professional education and develop materials to address specific individual needs to improve health outcomes.
3.  AD/ADRD Public Health Adoption Accelerator:
   • Funds up to two (2) organizations to serve as public health strategy adaptation accelerator programs. This means using dissemination and implementation of science to spread and put into practice effective public health strategies, tools, and resources to tackle AD/ADRD. 
   • Funding range: $750,000 – $1,200,000 per 12-month budget period.
   • Organizations will: 
     • Collaborate with CDC and other organizations to create a prioritized list of ADRD approaches & strategies.
     • Use proven strategies to engage partners, health care organizations, and policymakers to enhance uptake and implementation, accelerating the impact of AD/ADRD efforts.
     • Provide technical assistance to Component 1 & 2 recipients.

Applicants may apply for multiple components, but must submit a separate application per component. The FY2026 funding opportunity will be posted by May 5, with an estimated application due date of July 1. The awards are expected to be made by the end of August, with project start dates of September 30.

Bipartisan lawmakers urge HHS Secretary to fill NIH advisory council vacancies 

Representatives Suzan DelBene (D-WA-01), André Carson (D-IN-07), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01) led a bipartisan letter along with 31 of their colleagues urging Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to fill vacant positions on National Institutes of Health (NIH) advisory councils. According to a report published in Nature, thirteen of the agency’s 24 national advisory councils – which are responsible for the final review of research grant applications at specific institutes and centers –  are on track to have no voting members by the end of 2026; this would include advisory councils for the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Failure to appoint new members to these councils could stall the final approval of research grants and delay critical medical research.

President signs bill to reauthorize SBIR/STTR programs into law

On March 3, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation (S.3971) to reauthorize the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs through Sept. 30, 2031. Following a five-month lapse of these important programs, this five-year plan from the Senate is a welcome compromise. Led by Senate Small Business Committee Chair Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Ranking Member Senator Ed Markey (D-MA.), the bipartisan agreement aims to strengthen America’s seed fund, protect sensitive technology, and immediately reopen these critical innovation programs. On March 17, the House passed S.3971 by a vote of 345 – 41. The legislation has now been signed into law by the President, officially reauthorizing the SBIR and STTR programs through 2031 and restoring continuity for these critical innovation initiatives.

ACL releases report on the impact of dementia grant activities

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) has released a new report detailing the lasting impact of ACL dementia grant activities from 2014-2024. To compile these findings, the National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center (NADRC) conducted a survey with grant recipients that had been without ACL grant funding for at least one year. Almost all surveyed recipients sustained some or all of their grant-funded activities after their grant funding expired, and a majority of those activities were continuing at the time of the survey. Many sustained activities had been expanded to serve more people or adapted to meet evolving needs. The report includes information on the methods and types of sustained activities, modifications made, why recipients stopped certain activities, and case studies about successfully sustained activities.

UMR releases annual NIH economic report, underscoring impacts of research funding on local economies 

United for Medical Research has released a report on the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) role in strengthening the U.S. economy in 2025. The report reflects an annual analysis of employment and economic activity supported by NIH research funding distributed to all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The analysis found that NIH research funding supported 390,863 jobs and produced over $94 billion in new economic activity nationwide in 2025.  For every $1 invested in NIH research, there was $2.57 generated in economic activity – a 250% return. The analysis underscores that every state benefits from NIH research funding. The income generated from NIH-funded jobs and purchases circulates through local economies, driving new economic activity and strengthening communities.

Although total funding remained strong, FY2025 saw significant shifts in how awards were distributed. To meet its September 30 deadline following earlier delays, NIH made expanded use of multi-year funding – obligating the full value of certain grants upfront rather than distributing funding annually. This allowed NIH to expend its budget but led to significantly fewer total grants awarded in FY2025:

• 5,564 fewer grants were funded compared to FY2024
• Success rates fell to approximately 17%, the lowest level in nearly 30 years and down from 26% the prior year
• 19 states and the District of Columbia experienced at least a 10% decline in number of awards

The report website includes state-by-state resources including tables showing the number and value of grants by institution, a one page fact sheet, and a social media graphic.

CDMRP releases Alzheimer’s Research Program funding pre-announcement

The Department of Defense has released pre-announcements for anticipated fiscal year (FY) 2026 funding opportunities associated with its Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). Among the programs is the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program (AZRP) which supports innovative, high-impact research with clinical relevance that will address critical needs and improve the quality of life for service members, veterans, their families, and the public who are living with Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of dementia (AD/ADRD). Applications submitted to the FY2026 AZRP must address at least one of the three priority areas, i.e., reduce risk and prevent AD/ADRD, improve diagnosis and prognosis, and improve quality of life for people living with a dementia diagnosis, including care partners and families. Update: Please see the new Take Action entry (posted on May 8) for details about the application process and deadlines.

LEAD Coalition welcomes new member organization

The LEAD Coalition recently welcomed the American Society on Aging (ASA) as its newest member organization. Built over 70 years, the ASA network reaches more than 100,000 leaders, practitioners, advocates, researchers, policymakers, and innovators across the country. ASA members come from nonprofits, health systems, government agencies, academic institutions, faith communities, and private industry. Uniting, empowering and championing everyone striving to improve the aging experience, ASA aims for a future with every generation connected, every sector coordinated, every barrier dissolved.

New ITIF report summarizes Alzheimer’s diagnosis and care in rural communities

The Center for Life Sciences Innovation at the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) has released a new report, Leveraging Innovation to Improve Alzheimer’s Diagnosis and Care in Rural America. The report summarizes the heightened risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) experienced by individuals living in rural communities. Typically, rural populations are older, and face structural, geographic, and financial barriers, which compound risk and lead to delayed diagnosis and care. In turn, diagnostic and care delays increase downstream healthcare spending, intensify caregiver burden, and contribute to workforce losses in already fragile rural economies. Medical innovations, such as blood-based biomarkers, digital cognitive screening tools, therapeutics, and telehealth technologies, coupled with opportunities to engage individuals in primary care settings, could aid in ensuring adequate AD care is available in these communities. For example, innovations can lead to more timely diagnoses, stronger healthcare workforces, improved access to treatments, and more support for care partners. The report notes that targeted federal and state policy changes are needed to scale these solutions and encourages deliberate policy action to address AD in rural communities.

AAMC launches new data dashboard to track NIH funding

The Association for American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has launched a new data dashboard to help the academic medicine community track National Institutes of Health (NIH) extramural funding activity. The dashboard, which pulls data from NIH RePORTER, provides regular updates on NIH funding, including total grant awards, obligated funding amounts, and the use of the multiyear funding approach. Based on most recent data, AAMC also published a data brief with key findings from the first half of Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. AAMC found that the NIH obligated only $5.8 billion in extramural funding  –  34% below the total obligated at the same point in FY2024 – and awarded 63% fewer new grants in FY2026 compared to the prior 5-year average. The funding rates in FY2026 raise concerns that the NIH could be in a similar situation at the end of this fiscal year as it was in FY2025, when the agency was required to accelerate its spending substantially from July through September 2025 to obligate the full amount of its extramural budget. As the NIH implements its scientific priorities and the agency’s unified funding strategy, the AAMC and the broader research community will continue to track the movement of funds allocated by Congress as a testament to the nation’s commitment to biomedical research.

AHRQ releases new PCORI-funded report on medical care for adults with Down syndrome 

A new systematic review, funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and conducted through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), found that recent increases in lifespan among individuals with Down syndrome have contributed to medical knowledge gaps and a lack of appropriate clinical care for adults with the condition. Investigators reviewed 36 studies on treatment interventions for adults with Down syndrome; nearly half of these studies focused on dementia, primarily Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Other studies examined obesity, behavioral conditions, cardiovascular disease, sleep disorders, and vision problems. Adults with Down syndrome experience higher rates of certain health conditions, including AD, sleep apnea, obesity, hypothyroidism, diabetes, cataracts, leukemia, osteoporosis, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. They also have lower rates of many solid tumor cancers, including breast, cervical, colorectal and lung cancer, and some cardiovascular diseases, highlighting the importance of tailored screening and treatment for this vulnerable population. The report notes that future research would benefit from larger cohorts of diverse participants using standardized protocols to enhance data relevance, ensure consistency, enable reliable comparisons, and improve health outcomes for individuals living with Down syndrome.

NIH publishes a five-year strategic plan for disability research

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released a five-year strategic plan for disability research. The plan provides a comprehensive and harmonized approach to advancing disability health research activities at NIH, organized around four strategic goals: research, workforce, resources and infrastructure, and stewardship. Each goal is supported by three to four objectives that aim to inform policies and practices to improve health outcomes for people with disabilities. Additionally, the plan outlines four cross-cutting themes – whole person health, inclusion of people with disabilities in research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and technology – which  identify important overarching considerations that intersect with multiple goals and objectives. This strategic plan will guide NIH-wide disability health research and supplement mission areas at relevant institutes, centers, and offices across the agency.

Additional Reads

• Early signs of Alzheimer’s often go undetected. These researchers want to change that (read here)
• Common Pneumonia Bacteria in the Eye Linked to Alzheimer’s (read here)
• Concussion Blood Test Advances Toward FDA Submission With Point-of-Care Collaboration (read here)
• Management of brain–heart multimorbidity: a clinical practice guideline (read here)
• Dumped by insurance plans, millions of seniors scramble for health coverage (read here)
• A New Crop of α-Synuclein Tracers Enter Human Testing (read here)
• Aligning Alzheimer Trials With Disease Demographics—From Rhetoric to Reality (read here)
• NIH restrictions on foreign research partnerships significantly impacted 1 in 4 U.S. scientists (read here)
• Exercise and Blood Pressure Control Help the Brain, But Results May Take Years (read here)
• The Big Picture: Three Inflection Points Mark the Amyloid Cascade (read here)
• Activating Your Brain While Sitting Helps Reduce Dementia Risk (read here)
• Antihypertensive medications and risk of Alzheimer’s disease: Evidence for specific medication use (read here)
• Emergency departments are not equipped to help patients with dementia (read here)
• Demoralized CDC Workforce Reels From Year of Firings, Funding Cuts, and a Shooting (read here)
• Severe infections may accelerate the development of dementia (read here)
• New blood marker reduces the risk of a false diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• Preparing a home cooked meal at least once a week may cut older people’s dementia risk by 30% (read here)
• When Should Someone With Dementia Stop Driving? A Physician Explains (read here)
• How you walk could help doctors tell two similar brain diseases apart (read here)
• When everyday tasks become harder: Early clues to Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• NIH’s Path to a Simpler Funding Opportunity Landscape (read here)
• NIH grant terminations affected women scientists more than men, study finds (read here)
• Protein atlas connects the biologic dots underlying neurodegenerative diseases (read here)
• Trying to Find the Right Phone for My Mom With Alzheimer’s (read here)
• Sensitivity comparison of longitudinal cognitive function indicators of Alzheimer’s disease after mild cognitive impairment: a prospective cohort study (read here)
• Advancing Alzheimer Detection in Down Syndrome: Clinical Insights From Elizabeth Head, PhD (read here)
• To reduce Alzheimer’s risk, focus on overall health (read here)
• Magaziner, Salazar Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Reestablish House Select Committee on Aging (read here)
• National survey of NIH-funded researchers shows precarious state of U.S. science — ‘This is like the Titanic’ (read here)
• Financial Decline Linked to Faster Memory Aging in Older Adults (read here)
• How to Talk to a Loved One About Cognitive Decline (read here)
• Miller School of Medicine Researchers Build Real‑World Model of Alzheimer’s Risk (read here)
• Experts establish “gold standard” for measuring delirium severity in patients with dementia (read here)
• New Research Suggests Higher Dementia Risk for People with Type 1 Diabetes (read here)
• New Data Platform Tracks the Complex Path to Alzheimer’s and Could Transform How Its Risk Is Predicted (read here)
• Nasal Swab Test Spots Early Alzheimer’s Signals (read here)
• African Americans with Specific Gene Variant Show Brain-Network Decline Years Before Alzheimer’s Appears (read here)
• What Alzheimer’s Biomarkers Reveal in Black and Hispanic Americans (read here)
• Groundbreaking Trinity research reveals “leaky” brain barrier as driver of chronic brain damage in retired combat and collision sports athletes (read here)
• NIH grant awards are again lagging far behind historical averages, analysis shows (read here)
• Routine Blood Pressure Readings Offer Early Insights on Dementia Risk (read here)
• Mediterranean-blood pressure lowering diet (MIND) may slow structural brain ageing (read here)
• New microlearning video series to support the safer use of psychotropic medications in residential aged care (read here)
• HKUMed reveals osteoporosis medication may help reduce the risk of dementia (read here)
• Rural America faces higher Alzheimer’s risk, fewer diagnoses (read here)
• New research shows how to diagnose people with Alzheimer’s plus a hard-to-identify dementia type (read here)
• Early adult drinking linked to middle-age cognitive decline—even after extended abstinence (read here)
• Innovating Alzheimer’s disease diagnostics: blood biomarker technologies (read here)
• For the First Time, Scientists Have Mapped the Genetics of How the Brain Ages, Region by Region (read here)
• As VA Looks Ahead to Dementia Needs, Study Finds Immune Cells Attack Alzheimer’s Plaques in Brain (read here)
• Researchers design a pioneering drug capable of reversing cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease in animal models (read here)
• Major changes to cardiovascular guidelines suggest taking statins as young as 30  (read here)
• The Emotional Anchors That Help Caregivers Stay Grounded (read here)
• Black community can’t stay silent on Alzheimer’s (read here)
• I’m an NIH whistleblower. The scientific community cannot afford to avoid politics (read here)
• USC study reveals differences in early Alzheimer’s brain markers across diverse populations (read here)
• New Insights on α-Synuclein Pathology and Clinical Phenotypes in Dementia With Lewy Bodies (read here)
• Researchers identify major genetic risk factor for rare form of dementia (read here)
• Brain Diseases: Certain Neurons Are Especially Susceptible to ALS and FTD (read here)
• Microglia protein profiles in CSF across Alzheimer’s disease clinical stages (read here)
• The Keepsake Chronicles: stories in times of dementia (read here)
• A roadmap for dementia care: Early palliative care offers support for patients and caregivers facing dementia (read here)
• Eyes as a window to hidden brain diseases (read here)
• Super-agers’ brains stay young into old age. New research brings us closer to understanding why (read here)
• Blood Test Predicts Dementia in Women as Many as 25 Years Before Symptoms Begin (read here)
• Engineered immune cells target Alzheimer’s disease protein (read here)
• Why Music Might Help Keep the Brain Healthy as We Age (read here)
• After slashing federal jobs, Trump administration ramps up hiring (read here)
• Scientists pinpoint protein shapes that track Alzheimer’s progression (read here)
• Early Alzheimer’s increased connectivity lowered by cancer drug in the lab (read here)
• Behavioural changes may be linked to early dementia‑related processes (read here)
• ‘How is he going to have the time?’ NIH staff voice concern as Bhattacharya takes on CDC role (read here)
• Modeling Brain Aging and Resilience Over the Lifespan Reveals New Individual Factors (read here)
• These 8 Common Habits Could Increase Your Risk Of Dementia (read here)
• Six Federal Scientists Run Out by Trump Talk About the Work Left Undone (read here)
• How Stand Up For Science is trying to “pull every lever” to win over the public (read here)
• Trump administration’s embattled FDA vaccine chief ousted for the second time (read here)
• Tubulin prevents toxic protein clumps in the brain, fighting back neurodegeneration (read here)
• Should the practice of sedating the elderly in nursing homes be loosened? (read here)
• Many patients want to talk about their faith. Neurologists often don’t know how. (read here)
• Using Digital Cognitive Assessments for Dementia Diagnosis: Are Primary Care Providers Ready? (read here)
• Diagnosed at 47: Ben Draper’s Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Journey (read here)
• Lithium Trial Misses Endpoints (read here)
• Yale study challenges notion that aging means decline, finds many older adults improve over time (read here)
• New research finds personal control reduces loneliness in older Australians (read here)
• Research shows how lost memories can be reactivated (read here)
• Enhanced brain cells clear away dementia-related proteins (read here)
• Mayo Clinic researchers link Parkinson’s-related protein to faster Alzheimer’s progression in women (read here)
• Study offers guidance on the therapeutic use of mindfulness, yoga to boost mental health for dementia patients (read here)
• Quitting Smoking at Any Age Linked to Improved Cognitive Benefits (read here)
• Sleep habits may raise dementia risk — and researchers are closer to understanding how (read here)
• Can we prevent Alzheimer’s disease within a decade? (read here)
• Delays in awards and funding calls worry NIH-funded researchers (read here)
• Researchers Identify Specific Protein and Sugar Molecules Affected by Aging, Disease (read here)
• Air pollution’s link to dementia is getting stronger. Here’s how to reduce your risk (read here)
• UK researchers discover brain’s energy ‘hijacked’ by Alzheimer’s protein (read here)
• Mayo Clinic researchers identify key DNA changes in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• Dementia is rising fast – 5 surprising ways to protect your brain (read here)
• Functional photoacoustic microscopy reaches super-resolution by tracking red blood cells (read here)
• Communicating With Patients, Families in Evaluations for Alzheimer’s Disease (read here)
• Falls might be just as accurate in predicting future Alzheimer’s disease as amyloid in the brain: study (read here)
• Pilot Clinical Trial Suggests Low-dose Lithium May Slow Verbal Memory Decline (read here)
• VOICES: Dementia Didn’t End My Life — It Changed It (read here)
• Don’t Forget: photography to investigate Alzheimer’s (read here)

February, 2026 News

NAPA Advisory Council reconvenes

On February 9, the Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research, Care, and Services — mandated by the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) — reconvened for the first time since January 2025. During the meeting, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) introduced and swore in new non-federal Council members. HHS and federal agencies provided an overview of their work under NAPA, federal agencies newly engaged in NAPA introduced themselves, and HHS offered ideas for how they might reimagine the National Plan for 2026 and beyond. Returning council member, Dr. Randy Bateman, presented on research advancements in the field over the last decade and a guest presentation featured a new experimental robotic surgical procedure. The end of the day featured discussion by Council members and comments offered by members of the public. The meeting agenda and other materials, including all presentation slides, are posted on the NAPA website; the full videocast of the meeting should be available on the NAPA page soon. The Advisory Council’s next meeting date has not been announced yet, but is expected to occur in April or May 2026.

Breaking News: President signs FY2026 funding package into law, ending partial government shutdown

On February 3, the President signed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 funding package (Consolidated Appropriations Act, H.R.7148) into law, ending the partial government shutdown that began on January 31. The package includes the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies spending bill, which provides $116.8 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), an increase of $210 million in discretionary funding over FY 2025. The bipartisan agreement, now enacted into law, rejects the Administration’s proposal to significantly cut public health funding and restructure departments within public health agencies and includes several provisions requiring HHS to consult with the Appropriations Committees prior to taking action (e.g., terminating grants).

The FY 2026 Consolidated Appropriations Act advances numerous LEAD Coalition priorities; for example, the law increases funding for AD/ADRD work at the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and protects funding for Alzheimer’s programs at the Administration for Community Living and geriatrics workforce initiatives at the Health Services and Resources Administration. Additional details about specific agency and program/initiative funding levels are included in the previous post “Senate and House Appropriators Release Agreement on Labor-HHS Funding” at the top of the January News section of this page. For more details on aging services funding, see the National Council On Aging’s FY 2026 Aging Program Funding table.

OPM to begin implementing “Schedule Policy/Career” reclassification, removing civil service protections

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is finalizing the creation of a new employment classification for federal employees titled “Schedule Policy/Career.”  The final rule (OPM-2025-0004) is expected to reclassify more than 50,000 federal employees across the government, removing longstanding civil service protections (e.g., rights to appeal termination).

Previously proposed as “Schedule F” during the first Trump Administration, the rule establishes a distinct class of federal employees under the Schedule Policy/Career designation. Agencies are expected throughout February to identify “policy” positions for reclassification, with lists subject to White House review prior to implementation. OPM has stated that the change is intended to strengthen accountability within the federal workforce and ensure alignment with the President’s policy priorities.

As directed via Executive Order 14171, OPM released a draft rule for public input in April 2025. The agency received more than 40,000 comments in response to the draft rule, approximately 94% of which expressed concern that the policy could increase the politicization of career civil service roles. Despite these public comments, the final rule was published in the Federal Register on February 6, 2026, and is expected to take effect 30 days after publication.

NIH will cease classifying Basic Experimental Studies in Humans (BESH) as clinical trials

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that Basic Experimental Studies in Humans (BESH) will no longer be classified as clinical trials under NIH’s definition used for grant applications and reporting requirements (NOT-OD-26-032). This change rolls back a 2014 definition update that required BESH research, which seeks to understand fundamental biological or behavioral processes without the explicit intent to directly improve health or change clinical practice, to be subject to standard clinical trial requirements (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov registration and results reporting). The Trump administration has proposed this change – which will be effective for grant applications with due dates on or after May 25, 2026 – in an attempt to reduce administrative burden. BESH studies still must comply with human-subjects protections, NIH data-sharing policy, and other applicable research laws and regulations.

NIH reports on support for Early Stage Investigators

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has highlighted support through R01-equivalent awards in fiscal years (FYs) 2024 and 2025 for Early Stage Investigators (ESIs), who are researchers in the early phase of their careers seeking their first major NIH grants. The report emphasizes the challenges early career researchers face in a competitive funding environment and the importance of sustaining a strong pipeline of new investigators to advance biomedical research and innovation. The report describes efforts to support ESIs, including giving priority to their grant applications, creating fairer peer review processes, and integrating early investigator needs into broader funding strategies. The report also highlights NIH programs that encourage innovative research among new investigators and notes ongoing monitoring of barriers that could affect career progression. For additional context and analysis, see this article in Science: NIH research grant funding rates plummeted in 2025.

ACL launches APS tools database

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) Office of Elder Justice and Adult Protective Services has launched the APS Tools Inventory, a searchable database offering users the ability to search for tools that can be used to screen and assess adult maltreatment, clients’ risk of maltreatment, decisional capabilities, and functional status. The APS Tools Inventory was designed for use by any individuals working in the field of adult maltreatment, including program leadership, supervisors, researchers, and APS field workers who could adopt the screening and assessment tools. Individuals may be interested in using the APS Tool Inventory to:

• Search for existing tools that can support APS programs in enhancing standardized and systematic responses
• Learn details about tools, including how they should be administered, how long it takes to administer them, and whether the tools have been tested and validated
• Avoid duplicating efforts in developing their own tools or forms
• Review the evidence for tools, as well as areas of strength and recommendations for further validation

Analysis suggests long-term benefits of cognitive training on dementia risk 

A new analysis of the NIH-funded Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study found that older adults (65+) who completed a brief course of adaptive speed-of-processing cognitive training—with follow-up booster sessions—had a ~25% lower incidence of dementia up to 20 years later compared with those who received no training. The study, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions, indicated that these long-term benefits were unique to the cognitive training task, as long-term benefits were not found for other training types, including memory and reasoning training.

This evidence adds to earlier findings from the ACTIVE trial that showed cognitive training can improve everyday thinking and reduce dementia incidence at 10 years, and aligns with broader research suggesting that some targeted mental exercises may bolster brain health. In a 2017 report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, a committee reviewing the evidence on dementia prevention noted that cognitive training was one of the interventions with promising, though not yet conclusive, evidence for helping delay or mitigate cognitive decline, and recommended further rigorous research to clarify its role in preventing dementia. Although the evidence is strong, the authors note that additional studies are needed to understand underlying mechanisms that may help explain the long-term effects of cognitive training.

New blood test “clock” model can predict onset of Alzheimer’s symptoms 

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed new “clock” models to estimate when a person is likely to begin experiencing Alzheimer’s disease symptoms. The study, published in Nature Medicine, describes models that use a single blood test measuring the protein p-tau217 to predict symptom onset within a margin of three to four years. For now, these prediction “clock” models are expected to help forecast disease progression for research participants, thereby improving clinical trial recruitment and enrollment, and expediting the development of new prevention and treatment strategies. With future refinements, these models may become appropriate for use in a clinical environment, helping providers and patients make decisions on appropriate treatment and care. The study was part of a project developed and launched by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) Biomarkers Consortium.

Additional Reads

• A path to preventing cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease: initiatives beginning in the USA (read here)
• Higher-molecular-weight a-synuclein oligomers are increased in the brain cytosol of patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (read here)
• Not If, but When: Plasma P-Tau217 Clock Predicts Age of AD Onset (read here)
• The man who fell in love with the sound of Spitfires – here’s what this unusual symptom can teach us about dementia (read here)
• Structural signature of plasma proteins classifies the status of Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• We May Be Able to Spot Early Dementia Risk With 1 Simple Analysis, Study Says (read here)
• RFK Jr.’s war on vaccines is coming for the elderly (read here)
• When Words Fade: Samuel Valverde on Living With Primary Progressive Aphasia (read here)
• Scientists create the most detailed molecular map to date of the developing Down syndrome brain (read here)
• Superagers’ brains have a ‘resilience signature,’ and it’s all about neuron growth (read here)
• In football players with repeated head impacts, inflammation related to brain changes (read here)
• AI Aids Quantification of Amyloid PET Scans (read here)
• Novel markers of brain blood flow and oxygenation may offer early clues to Alzheimer’s risk (read here)
• Study identifies medical conditions that could predict future Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• The Race to Treat Genetic FTD: New Therapies Target the GRN Mutation (read here)
• Off-label use of antipsychotics common among older adults in Finland (read here)
• How Urinary Tract Infections Can Trigger Delirium and Worsen Dementia (read here)
• Simple, day-to-day tasks may delay Alzheimer’s and dementia, scientists say (read here)
• Alzheimer’s related dementia severity classification from magnetic resonance imaging using derivative-free optimization of convolutional neural network (read here)
• With federal research funding uncertain, states debate new science initiatives (read here)
• Study Examines How Attending an HBCU Can Help Reduce Dementia Risk (read here)
• Scientists Find a Mechanism for How Exercise Protects the Brain (read here)
• HHS OIG Releases New Medicare Advantage Compliance Program Guidance (read here)
• Dementia: how brain resilience, immune health and the menopause play a role in women’s risk (read here)
• New Biomarker on the Block? PPP2R5C Tracks with Tauopathy in AD (read here)
• A Single Blood Test May Predict When Alzheimer’s Symptoms Will Begin (read here)
• Brain organoids can be trained to solve a goal-directed task (read here)
• Houston Methodist research reveals how the eyes may be a window into early Alzheimer’s detection (read here)
• Could a protein hold the key to protecting against Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• Virgin olive oil protects cognitive health through the gut microbiota (read here)
• Expanding the Alzheimer’s Treatment Landscape: A 2026 Forecast (read here)
• Exercise and nutritional drinks can reduce the need for care in dementia (read here)
• The Cells That Never Sleep: How Slumber Lets Neurons Clean Up and Stay Healthy (read here)
• What Is Limbic-Predominant Age-Related TDP-43 Encephalopathy (LATE)? (read here)
• With a Second Pair of A-Eyes, Fewer Cases of ARIA Slip Under the Radar (read here)
• Air pollution may directly contribute to Alzheimer’s disease – new study (read here)
• The good side of a side effect: New Houston Methodist study finds brain swelling during Alzheimer’s treatment may signal strong response (read here)
• Robotic Pets Help Dementia Patients Recover and Return Home (read here)
• Researchers connect the dots between cause-effect events in Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• Alzheimer’s gene boosts seizures, but pathway can be targeted, study finds (read here)
• A crisis in the making: Can America afford the elderly? (read here)
• Investigational Therapy ALZ-801 Shows Clinical Efficacy in MCI Stage of Alzheimer Disease (read here)
• New blood test could improve Alzheimer’s Disease diagnosis (read here)
• Characterizing TDP‐43 involvement in vascular dementia (read here)
• Development and validation of the LateDem-Risk score to predict dementia incidence in the InveCe.Ab and Trelong Italian cohorts (read here)
• Alzheimer’s: Researchers Discover an Unexpected Link Between Genetic Risk and Social Life (read here)
• Impact of an exercise and nutrition program on caregiver time with residents in institutional care—A secondary analysis (read here)
• A System Built For Ordinary Times: Why US Vaccine Policy Fails When It Matters Most (read here)
• Medicaid work requirements will particularly hurt unpaid caregivers (read here)
• New Cost-Sharing Requirements In Medicaid: Considerations For State Implementation (read here)
• Senate Questions Health Care Firm for Profiting Off Program Meant for Poor (read here)
• Kidney function may affect Alzheimer’s blood biomarkers (read here)
• UC Irvine-led team creates first cell type-specific gene regulatory maps for Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• Drugs identified that could help prevent delirium after surgery (read here)
• Cumulative lead exposure linked to increased Alzheimer’s and dementia risk, U-M study finds (read here)
• Researchers identify promising Alzheimer’s disease drug target (read here)
• Silencer variants are key drivers of gene up-regulation in Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• Reading and writing can lower dementia risk by almost 40%, study finds (read here)
• Common anti-seizure drug prevents Alzheimer’s plaques from forming (read here)
• Skeleton ‘gatekeeper’ lining brain cells could guard against Alzheimer’s (read here)
• Metabolic clues emerge from new molecular map of Alzheimer’s (read here)
• Long COVID Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease Mechanisms (read here)
• When Inflammation Maims Microglia, Plaques Spread Out and Harm Neurites (read here)
• UK study: ‘Person-centered care’ improves lives of dementia residents, caregivers (read here)
• Cognitive speed training over weeks may delay the diagnosis of dementia over decades (read here)
• Early cognitive stimulation protects brain function in Alzheimer’s disease (read here)
• Research review finds ‘disconnect’ in care planning between dementia patients and healthcare teams (read here)
• Can Targeting the Immune System Slow the Progression of Alzheimer’s? (read here)
• The many meanings of Alzheimer’s disease and why they matter for policy, research, and care (read here)
• What Is LATE Dementia? In Older Adults It’s Often Mistaken for Alzheimer’s (read here)
• If you have Alzheimer’s disease, who will take part in your care? (read here)
• New gut-brain discovery offers hope for treating ALS and dementia (read here)
• AI algorithm enables tracking of vital white matter pathways (read here)
• As a scientist and NFL widow, I am furious about a recent NFL Players Association-funded CTE study (read here)
• Developing a structured framework to explore the experiences of people with dementia and their caregivers regarding non‐pharmacological sleep interventions (read here)
• Modeling and application of alzheimer’s disease complex trait prediction based on multi-task learning (read here)
• When to Hire Help for Dementia Care: 6 Benefits and the First Steps (read here)
• Scientists worry finalizing ‘Schedule F’ rule will further politicize NIH grant decisions (read here)
• Community perspectives on epigenetic dementia risk testing: Willingness, implementation preferences, and reasons for not testing in midlife and older adults (read here)
• A Curious Case of Amyloid Scans Going Awry (read here)
• An AI model that can read and diagnose a brain MRI in seconds (read here)
• Former FDA commissioner: HHS leadership is focused on policy-based evidence, not evidence-based policy (read here)
• The rise of astrocytes: are they guardians or troublemakers of the brain disorder? (read here)
• For Dementia Patients, Easy Access to Experts May Help the Most (read here)
• We helped create Medicare Advantage. Here’s how to fix it (read here)
• A ‘major steppingstone’ against Alzheimer’s (read here)
• Researchers find new way to slow memory loss in Alzheimer’s (read here)
• Blood tests for Alzheimer’s disease could reshape research and care (read here)
• UB study shows that key protein can slow aging (read here)
• New research shows improving blood flow to the brain in arteries with plaque did not improve cognitive skills (read here)
• How our lab is helping develop an Alzheimer’s test that can be done at home (read here)
• Storing defective energy: How the aging brain remains efficient (read here)
• Researchers Use Veterans’ Health Records for Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease (read here)
• Pregnancy, breastfeeding associated with higher levels of cognitive function for postmenopausal women (read here)
• Study Finds Cannabis Usage in Middle Aged and Older Adults Associated With Larger Brain Volume, Better Cognitive Function (read here)
• High estrogen levels in brain may increase women’s risk of stress-related memory issues (read here)
• Ambien, Melatonin, and More: What We Know — and Don’t — About Sleep Medications and Dementia Risk (read here)
• Biological Age Acceleration Linked to Early Alzheimer Disease Markers (read here)
• The other ‘Alzheimer’s protein’: The quest to prevent toxic tau buildup in the brain (read here)
• Biomarker-integrated prognostic stagings for Alzheimer’s Disease (read here)
• Changes in Gut Microbiome May Be Connected to Alzheimer Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment (read here)
• Clinical trials on dementia: bridging access and innovation (read here)
• Duke study tackles football’s impact on Black men’s brain health (read here)
• AI-driven framework for accurate detection of Alzheimer’s disease in EEG (read here)
• 5 Ways to Talk to a Loved One About Dementia (read here)
• Reading was the key to breaking through the fog of my parents’ dementia (read here)
• NIH Pause on New Submissions to the NIH Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry and Request for Information on Reducing Reliance on Human Embryonic Stem Cells in NIH-Supported Research (read here)

January, 2026 News

Senate and House Appropriators Release Agreement on Labor-HHS Funding

As part of a four-bill package, House and Senate appropriations have released the bipartisan fiscal year (FY) 2026 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill (see: accompanying joint explanatory statement). The bill provides $116.8 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), an increase of $210 million in discretionary funding over FY 2025. This bipartisan bill rejects the Administration’s proposal to significantly cut public health funding and restructure departments within public health agencies and includes several provisions requiring HHS to consult with the Appropriations Committees prior to taking action (e.g., terminating grants). 

The bill includes: 

• An increase of $100 million to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for AD/ADRD research.
  • This increase reflects $90 million to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and $10 million to the National Institute on Aging (NIA). 
  • The bill also preserves support for facilities and administrative expenses (Sec. 224; often referred to as “indirect costs”) and includes language to limit multiyear funding (Sec. 240). Additionally, the bill maintains funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) at the FY 2025 total of $1.5 billion. 
  • Additionally, the bill includes at least $100 million for the NIH INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE (INCLUDE) Initiative, an increase of $10 million to a program that supports a range of research activities, including Down-Syndrome associated Alzheimer’s disease.
• A total of $41.5 million for Alzheimer’s disease programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an increase of $2 million over the FY2025 level. The bill eliminates funding for CDC’s social determinants of health programs.
  • With regard to staffing and restructuring of CDC, the bill requires the HHS Secretary to submit a detailed plan and justification to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees prior to initiating the execution of any reorganization, moving functions carried out by the CDC to another component of HHS.
• A total of $31.5 million for Alzheimer’s disease demonstration projects at the Administration for Community Living (ACL), reflecting level funding from FY2025.
• A total of $48.245 million for geriatrics workforce programs at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), reflecting level funding from FY2025. 

This bill also extends Medicare coverage of telehealth services for two years. The explanatory statement calls for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to support timely beneficiary access to early cognitive screening and diagnostic tools for AD/ADRD. 

The House passed a bundle of six full-year spending bills on Thursday, January 22. Though the Senate was expected to pass the bundle as is, the Senate ultimately amended the bundled package, to include five full-year appropriations bills and one two-week stop gap bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Senate passed the amended package on January 30 by a vote of 71-29 and sent it to the House for a final vote.

As both chambers did not vote to pass the same legislative package before the expiration of the Continuing Resolution (CR), the government entered into a partial shutdown at 12:01am on January 31. The House is expected to return from recess and vote on the altered package as soon as Monday, February 2, and the President is expected to sign it into law shortly thereafter. Please watch this space for additional details and updates as they become available. 

LEAD Coalition and SWHR Statement on the FDA’s Revised Draft Guidance on the Study of Sex Differences in the Clinical Evaluation of Medical Products 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published revised draft guidance on the Study of Sex Differences in the Clinical Evaluation of Medical Products (FDA-2024-D-4245). The guidance provides recommendations for increasing enrollment of female participants in clinical trials and non-interventional studies to help ensure the generalizability of results; analyzing and interpreting sex-specific data; and, including sex-specific information in regulatory submissions of medical products. Revisions follow an early 2025 public comment period, to which the LEAD Coalition and the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) submitted a jointly-led sign-on letter commending the FDA for its ongoing commitment to the study of sex differences and encouraging consideration of the specific relevance for women at risk for or living with Alzheimer’s disease and related causes of dementia. 

Unfortunately, the revised draft guidance falls short of addressing comments submitted by the LEAD Coalition and SWHR. Instead, the FDA draft guidance appears to have been revised primarily to remove gender-related terminology, with limited indication that the revisions were informed by public comments or developments in scientific literature. The LEAD Coalition and SWHR stand by comments outlined in their 2025 letter, including the importance of understanding the impact gender roles may have on the increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related causes of dementia and maintain that FDA must take these factors into account within the draft guidance.

The LEAD Coalition and SWHR remain eager to work together with the FDA to deepen understanding of sex differences in the clinical evaluation of medical products and to ensure that future research and resulting medical products and services are more inclusive, effective, and tailored to the needs of all individuals, including those at risk for and living with Alzheimer’s disease and related causes of dementia. LEAD and SWHR also look forward to additional comment periods to elevate this essential element of scientific rigor. 

HHS releases report on hospice use patterns among Medicare enrollees living with AD/ADRD 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released a report on  “Medicare Hospice Use Patterns Among Patients With Alzheimer’s Disease or Related Dementias Compared to Those With Other Terminal Diagnoses.” The report details the results of a study that examined Medicare Fee-for-Service claims between 2016 and 2019 to better understand hospice utilization patterns among people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) as compared to individuals who have other terminal diagnoses. The analysis found that AD/ADRD was the third most common primary hospice diagnosis and frequently appeared as a secondary diagnosis In both cases, AD/ADRD was associated with longer hospice stays, more routine home care visits, fewer days of general inpatient care, and more visits by home health aides (HHAs). These patterns varied by hospice type. For-profit and newer hospices were linked to longer lengths of hospice stay, more routine home care, and more HHA visits. Non-profit, older, and rural hospices provided more daily visits by registered nurses. These findings suggest that people with AD/ADRD experience a distinct hospice trajectory and highlight the need to consider more tailored approaches to meet the needs of this population and their care partners.

Alzheimer’s Association Dementia Care Navigation Roundtable publishes business case white paper 

The Alzheimer’s Association Dementia Care Navigation Roundtable (DCNR) has published a white paper offering guidance to help health care organizations build, improve, and expand dementia care programs. The paper, “Building a Business Case for a Dementia Care Program,” is designed to aid health systems transitioning from traditional fee-for-service payment models to value-based care. It is accompanied by a Dementia Care Financial Modeling tool to help organizations assess costs and feasibility when planning dementia programs. The tool allows teams to adapt the white paper principles to their goals, resources and context, enabling teams to make informed business cases to leadership.

The white paper includes five sequential modules detailing key components for building a business case:

• Analyzing Current State — Assessing the existing dementia care landscape
• Identifying and Understanding Key Value Metrics — Defining primary sources of financial value
• Reviewing Care Model Types — Choosing the right dementia care model
• Creating a Credible Program Analysis — Building a “Program Scorecard” to track metrics
• Dementia Care Financial Model — Applying modules 1-4 to generate financial data

The Alzheimer’s Association will host a one-hour webinar on February 13 to demonstrate how health care organizations can use the free Dementia Care Financial Modeling tool to build and improve dementia care programs. Interested organizations can register here. Health care organizations can request the modeling tool by contacting dementiacarenavigation@alz.org.

CMS issues final rule for Home Health Prospective Payment System

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule announcing policy changes to the Home Health (HH) Prospective Payment System (PPS) (CMS-1828-F). CMS estimates that Medicare payments to home health agencies in 2026 will decrease by an estimated 1.3% (or $220 million) compared to 2025, based on the finalized policies. CMS is finalizing a change to the face-to-face regulation to allow physicians, in addition to NPs, CNSs, and PAs, to perform the face-to-face encounter. Additionally, CMS is removing items from the HH Quality Reporting Program, including the COVID-19 Vaccine: Percentage of Patients Who Are Up to Date Measure and the corresponding Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) data element beginning in 2026. CMS is also removing four assessment items in the standardized patient assessment: one Living Situation item, two Food items, and one Utilities item. Other changes include Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, & Supplies (DMEPOS) Accreditation updates and a prior authorization exemption process for DMEPOS suppliers meeting a specific claim approval rate. For additional details, see the CMS overview.

New report presents recommendations for clinical use of digital cognitive assessments

A recent report “Acceptable standards for clinic-based digital cognitive assessments: Recommendations from the Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer’s Disease” presents expert consensus recommendations on how digital cognitive assessments (DCAs) should be designed, evaluated, and used in clinical settings. The paper, developed by a group of diverse stakeholders convened by the Global CEO Initiative (CEOi) and inclusive of leaders across academia, clinical care, industry, and patient advocacy, offers guidance by outlining target characteristics of DCAs for three clinical contexts: (1) initial detection of cognitive impairment, (2) diagnostic support for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, and (3) characterization of cognitive profiles to support identifying etiology. These recommendations are expected to assist test developers, health care providers, health system decision-makers, and regulators in ensuring that DCAs meet or exceed the performance of non-digital tools, and  aid earlier detection of cognitive impairment, improve diagnostic accuracy, and facilitate timely intervention and support for individuals living with MCI or dementia.

New report outlines recommended actions to enhance Alzheimer’s diagnosis and improve care coordination

The Alzheimer’s Policy Working Group, a group of engaged clinicians from specialty and primary care working together to craft practical solutions that improve the lives of individuals living with dementia and their care partners, has released a new report entitled “Solving America’s Alzheimer’s Challenge.” The report outlines recommended actions for primary providers, health care systems, government agencies, medical societies, and other relevant stakeholders to enhance early diagnosis and improve care coordination. These include: 

1.  At the first signs of cognitive impairment, primary care providers should encourage lifestyle changes and discuss interventions that can preserve and even improve cognitive function.
2.  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and American Medical Association should adopt billing codes that enable timely diagnosis of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease in primary care settings.
3.  Healthcare systems should establish brain health programs that empower administrators with knowledge of the total revenue associated with Alzheimer’s care.
4.  Leading medical societies should create a certification that can enable nurse practitioners and physician assistants to obtain the training needed to diagnose Alzheimer’s and manage patients at all stages of the disease.

The report also summarizes the outcomes of existing models of care that could be scaled to support more timely diagnosis and care for all.

LEAD Coalition welcomes new member organizations

The LEAD Coalition recently welcomed West Health and CureGRN as its newest member organizations.

Solely funded by philanthropists Gary and Mary West, West Health is a family of nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations that include the Gary and Mary West Foundation and Gary and Mary West Health Institute in San Diego and the Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center in Washington, D.C. West Health is dedicated to lowering healthcare costs to enable seniors to successfully age in place with access to high-quality and affordable health and support services that preserve and protect their dignity, quality of life and independence. 

CureGRN is dedicated to raising awareness, fostering global collaboration, and driving research to find effective treatments and prevention strategies for frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) caused by the progranulin gene mutation. Together, we stand with families affected by GRN-FTD, working toward a future where this devastating condition is understood and defeated. 

USAging publishes 2025 National AAA Survey Chartbook

USAging has released the 2025 National AAA Survey Chartbook. The new data underscores the important role Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) play and how they are adapting to meet the increasingly complex needs of a growing older adult population. Key findings include:

• Growing waitlists: Seventy-one percent of AAAs report waitlists for OAA services, with home-delivered meals, homemaker services and personal care among the most requested.
• Support for caregivers: Nearly all AAAs (99 percent) serve caregivers of older adults, and most also assist older caregivers raising relative children (95 percent) and caregivers of adults with disabilities (94 percent). However, 25 percent rely exclusively on OAA funding for these services, limiting their ability to meet demand.
• Expanding services: AAAs are addressing critical community needs beyond core services, including social isolation (95 percent), housing supports (88 percent) and behavioral health (31 percent).
• Housing challenges: Ninety-four percent of AAAs identify lack of affordable housing for older adults as a top challenge. Significant unmet needs persist for innovative housing solutions (71 percent), grand family housing (60 percent) and homelessness prevention programs (59 percent).

KFF issue brief examines Medicaid HCBS

KFF has released an issue brief exploring how states provide Medicaid home care and what services are included in states’ Medicaid home care waivers. This brief was developed using data from the 23^rd KFF survey of officials administering Medicaid home care programs. Medicaid home care can be offered through either the Medicaid state plan or as part of a specialized waiver. All states offer Medicaid home care through waivers, most commonly 1915(c) waivers (47 states). States also offer Medicaid home care services through 1115 waivers (15 states), personal care offered as a state plan benefit (33 states), or the Community First Choice option (10 states). Most states provide Medicaid home care through waivers that offer benefits specifically targeted to people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (48) and people ages 65 and older who have physical disabilities (46). For such waivers, most states offer multiple waivers for each population. Waivers’ coverage of different home care services, such as day services, supported employment, and home-based services, varies by the population served.

Additional Reads

• New rule would force PBMs to disclose drug rebates and other fees (read here)
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• My Husband With Dementia Yells at Me. I’m Tired of It (read here)
• For Some Americans, the End of Obamacare Subsidies Means Falling Off a Financial Cliff (read here)
• This Cellular Hazmat Team Cleans Up Tau. Can It Prevent Dementia? (read here)
• Treatment Data Projects Benefit in Early-Onset Alzheimer’s (read here)
• Protein buildup in brain blood vessels linked with increased 5-year risk of dementia (read here)
• 14 Lifestyle Changes That Help Prevent or Delay Dementia (read here)
• JH AITC awards more than $1M for projects supporting seniors, caregivers (read here)
• NIH-funded study clearly ties risk of dementia to severe CTE (read here)
• Project seeks to develop retinal screening for Alzheimer’s  (read here)
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• Man with dementia forgot he’s been married 39 years. He proposed again. (read here)
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• Loneliness plays significant role in Alzheimer’s; doctors’ EHR notes may hold clues in early diagnosis: studies (read here)
• Why Alzheimer’s Patients Lose New Memories First (read here)
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• Inside a Dutch ‘dementia village,’ where the whole neighborhood is designed for memory loss (read here)
• Without ApoE3 or ApoE4, Alzheimer’s Would be a Rare Disease (read here)
• Helping people with dementia have a say in their medical care (read here)
• Current Federal Budget and Appropriations for Aging Services Programs (read here)
• Unfilled vacancies have depleted NIH advisory councils, key players in grant approvals (read here)
• Why people with dementia wander – and how families can keep them safe (read here)
• People with obesity may have a higher risk of dementia (read here)
• Study Finds Alzheimer’s Disease Can Be Evaluated with Brain Stimulation (read here)
• New Research Suggests Gut Bacteria May Be Linked to Memory Decline in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease (read here)
• Microglia Lookalikes Deliver Progranulin in Mouse Lentivirus Gene Therapy (read here)
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• ‘Living With Alzheimer’s, Not Dying From It’: Luke Davis on Life After Diagnosis (read here)
• Not all memories are created equal: Study by NUS and Duke shows how motivation shapes our memory (read here)
• New Study Links Altered Cellular States to Brain Structure (read here)
• A new atlas could help guide researchers studying neurological disease (read here)
• Ending dementia stigma could change its trajectory: Cancer’s history shows why (read here)
• Genetic contributions to Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia in admixed Latin American populations (read here)
• From Anxiety, Depression to Major Neurocognitive Disorders: Exploring Their Association With the Risk Factors for Dementia (read here)
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• New European initiative seeks to accelerate timely Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis and treatment (read here)
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• One in four older Americans with dementia prescribed risky brain-altering drugs despite safety warnings (read here)
• Diagnosing Vascular Dementia: How Doctors Identify Blood Vessel Damage (read here)
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• Study: Increased Levels of Protein Linked to Alzheimer’s Found in Some with Long COVID (read here)
• ‘Rare in this world’: Memory cafes provide community for Alzheimer’s patients, caregivers (read here)
• Q&A: Can a routine shingles shot lower your risk of dementia? (read here)
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• 40-Hz Auditory Stimulation Shows Long-Term Efficacy in Aged Monkeys, Offering Potential for Non-Invasive Alzheimer’s Therapy (read here)
• I oversaw the development of the ‘hospital at home’ CMS waiver. Congress must update the program (read here)
• Do Artificial Sweeteners Affect Brain Health? What New Research Suggests (read here)
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• Brain organoids are helping researchers, but their use also creates unease (read here)
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• Protein disposal system may accelerate Alzheimer’s by transferring toxins between brain cells (read here)

TAKE ACTION   |   NEWS | LEGISLATION | OLDER NEWSAdult Protective Services programs receive approximately 1.3 million reports each year, while family caregivers often carry the financial, physical, and emotional burden when an older loved one is left without the resources they need. Despite the scale of the problem, many cases of abuse, neglect, and exploitation are never reported.