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Friends of BrainHealth awarded funding to seven projects examining dementia risk, early brain changes, cognitive resilience and caregiver well-being. The awards, announced after a September 28 luncheon, are intended to help researchers build evidence for future, larger-scale funding, including potential grants from Texas’s DPRIT.
Friends of BrainHealth has awarded its 2026 research grants to projects on early brain changes, dementia risk and resilience, Alzheimer’s disease and caregiver well-being. Six projects were recognized at a September 28 luncheon, and attendees selected a seventh award through a live vote, as the donor circle aims to help Center for BrainHealth researchers build evidence for potential larger grants from Texas’s Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT).
The seven awards span work by emerging and established researchers. Three projects received awards in a newly expanded Visionary Scientist category. Zhengsi Chang and Ziwei Zhang will study biomarker patterns related to cognitive resilience across different courses of Alzheimer’s disease. Francesca Filbey will examine brain resilience and metabolic health in a longitudinal neuroimaging study involving GLP-1-based therapy. Dan Krawczyk’s project will investigate a light-guided training intervention intended to support brain health and reduce dementia risk.
Three other projects were named Emerging Scientist award recipients. Mary Glen will examine the reliability and validity of the BrainHealth Index as a way to monitor early brain changes, with Sandra Bond Chapman as mentor. Gayathri Maruthy will study dementia risk and resilience profiles using eight determinants, with Jeff Spence as mentor. Ashley Campos and Stephanie Rodriguez will test a mindfulness-based approach to caregiver well-being, with Bart Rypma as mentor.
The audience-choice Emerging Scientist award went to Christine Dugas for a project examining links between retinal vascular health and dementia risk factors. The study will use non-invasive retinal scans and track change with the BrainHealth Index, according to the report. Friends of BrainHealth said this year’s community investment exceeded $466,000; the donor circle reports that it has raised $6 million and awarded 69 seedling grants since it began nearly 20 years ago.
How Seed Grants Could Support Larger Studies
The awards offer early funding for studies at different stages, from testing measurement tools and studying possible risk profiles to evaluating an intervention for caregivers. That early support can allow researchers to develop preliminary evidence and refine research questions before seeking larger awards. The projects may add to scientific understanding, but the grants themselves do not establish that any proposed method prevents dementia or improves health.
The Center for BrainHealth says the awards are intended to strengthen researchers’ ability to compete for multimillion-dollar DPRIT grants. If successful, later funding could allow some research to expand beyond early-stage investigations. The source describes this as a pathway and an aim, not as a guarantee that any project will receive state funding or reach clinical use.
The range of topics also reflects that dementia research includes more than disease biology alone. The awards cover biomarkers, metabolic health, cognitive resilience, potential early-detection measures and the experiences of caregivers. For readers and families, the immediate development is research investment; any practical tools or treatments would require further study and evidence.
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A Donor Circle’s Research Record
Friends of BrainHealth is a donor circle that provides seed funding to researchers at the Center for BrainHealth. Its stated approach is to give scientists early support to test ideas and develop evidence that could help them pursue additional funding. The group says it has awarded 69 seedling grants over nearly two decades, drawing on $6 million raised since its founding.
The 2026 program added the Visionary Scientist category alongside Emerging Scientist awards, extending support to established principal investigators as well as newer researchers. The awards were presented at the Ramona Jones Friends of BrainHealth Scientist Selection Luncheon at Dallas Country Club on September 28. The event also included a live, audience-vote competition among three finalists for the seventh award, continuing the group’s format of involving donors and attendees in project selection.
The Texas funding opportunity provides the immediate institutional backdrop. According to the report, DPRIT is expected to offer substantially larger state grants for dementia prevention and research. Friends of BrainHealth says its seed awards are meant to help researchers prepare for that opportunity, but the source does not report DPRIT awards to these projects.
“This year, our community of supporters invested more than $466,000 in innovative research focused on brain health and dementia prevention.”
— Andy Walsh, 2026 Friends of BrainHealth campaign co-chair
Research Outcomes and State Funding
The source does not give the grant amount for each project, detailed study schedules, participant numbers or expected completion dates. It also does not report results from the newly funded work, so the projects’ findings and potential applications remain unknown.
Although the awards are intended to help researchers compete for DPRIT funding, it is not clear which projects will apply, when applications will be considered or whether any will receive state grants. The BrainHealth Index and the proposed eye-brain measures are being studied; the material does not establish that they can diagnose dementia or predict an individual’s outcome.
Studies and Grant Applications Ahead
The funded teams are expected to conduct the research described in their award projects, including work on biomarker dynamics, early brain-health measurement, dementia risk profiles, caregiver well-being, retinal health and metabolic factors. The source does not provide a project-by-project timetable, so the next public milestones and release dates for findings are not yet specified.
A further milestone will be whether researchers use the seed funding to pursue larger DPRIT awards. Any applications, decisions and subsequent study expansions would clarify whether the 2026 grants lead to broader research programs. Until then, the confirmed development is the award of seed funding and the stated intention to support future research—not proof of prevention methods or new clinical tools.
Key Questions
How many projects received Friends of BrainHealth awards in 2026?
Seven projects received awards: six were recognized at the September 28 luncheon, and one additional Emerging Scientist project was selected through an audience vote.
What subjects do the funded projects cover?
The projects examine early brain changes, dementia risk and resilience, Alzheimer’s disease, metabolic health, caregiver well-being and possible links between retinal and brain health.
Do the awards mean a dementia-prevention treatment has been proven?
No. The awards fund research projects; the source reports no findings showing that a proposed intervention prevents dementia or that a measure can diagnose it.
Will the projects receive Texas DPRIT grants?
That is not confirmed. Friends of BrainHealth says its seed funding is intended to help researchers compete for larger DPRIT grants, but no state awards to these projects are reported.
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