02/01/2026
Repost from Dale Bredesen, MD
Welcome to 2026! This is a year that figures to be one of exciting advances in longevity and brain health. After 30 years of laboratory research, 240 peer-reviewed publications, and having just completed a successful randomized controlled clinical trial, we have learned so much about what it takes for reversal of cognitive decline and prevention of cognitive decline. There have now been over 10,000 people who have adopted the ReCODE protocol that began with Patient Zero in 2012 (who is still doing well! https://www.judywalks.org ), and it is time to make cognitive decline the rare condition that it should be. Here is what we have learned about how to achieve best outcomes for us all:
ā¢Start early: We have virtually 100% success with prevention and with those who receive optimal treatment at the SCI stage (subjective cognitive impairment, when you have symptoms but are still scoring normally on cognitive testing). You only need to check your p-tau 217 every five years (getabrainscan.com), but knowing it will help you to āsee it comingāājust like knowing your hemoglobin A1c so you can avoid diabetesāand avoid dementia for your lifetime.
ā¢Donāt underestimate the importance of the basics: Consider getting a wearable so that you can optimize your sleep, exercise, HRV, and oxygen saturation. We see repeatedly that the Basic 7ādiet, exercise, sleep, stress, brain stimulation, detox, and some targeted supplementsāexert striking beneficial effects on brain performance and protection. The growing armamentarium of treatmentsāfrom HBOT to EWOT to stem cells to PK protocol to intranasal peptides to treating specific infections and on and onāworks best when used with optimized basics.
ā¢Donāt worry: Almost every day I hear about someone who has just found out she or he is ApoE4+ (and indeed there are 75 million Americans with one copy and 7 million with 2 copies), and is upset, but there is no longer any need to worryāuntil 13 years ago there was nothing to offer, but we now know that starting early, identifying the risks and addressing each one, leads to improvement time after time after time. And of course, there is Julie Gās excellent website, ApoE4.Info, to help. There is also the worry of being overwhelmed with the complexity of the brain and what it takes to heal it, but just take things at your own pace, and try to do a little better each day. The vast majority of cognitive decline does not happen overnight, so you donāt need to do everything at once.
ā¢The 4 steps of improvement: Another common refrain I hear is, āIāve been on the protocol for several months, and Iām not that much better.ā Most people get better in 4 steps: first, ongoing decline slows; second, decline stops; third, small improvements occurāsomething happens that wouldnāt otherwise have happened, like remembering a travel route or recognizing a face; and fourth, more major improvements occur.
ā¢Find a great team: One thing we learned from the trials is that some sites are getting just about everyone better, whereas others are not. For best results, work with a well-trained, experienced team with a history of very positive outcomes. Being part of a support group helps, as well. Then keep optimizing.
ā¢Try to avoid ādoctor shoppingā: When 5 different doctors are telling you 5 different things, itās hard to heal. Find a great team and listen to what the team recommends. Live the program for one year, then see where things stand. If things are not going in the right direction, work with your practitioner to determine what has been missed.
ā¢Use something to determine progress: You can do this by following symptoms (what is getting better, what is getting worse?) or your cognitive scores or you BrainHQ progress or electrophysiology (such as p300b or quantitative EEG) or p-tau 217 (give it a year to change) or even MRI volumetrics (give these a year to change, as well). Using any of these guides will help to tell you whether things are improving, even though you may not notice it right away.
ā¢Leave no stone unturned: This is your life, and one without a well-functioning brain is not much of a life, so work with your practitioner team to identify and address all of the contributors to cognitive risk or decline. You may be surprised at what you findāfrom sleep apnea to an infected root canal to a fungus ball in the sinus to mycotoxin exposure to poor detox to leaky gut, etc. Identify the key players and treat them in order to achieve a long-lasting positive outcome.
ā¢Be sensitive to your own body and brain: When you make any change, try to notice whether it helped, even a little, or hurt, even a little. That will help guide you to an optimal outcome.
ā¢And finally, please remember: You are part of the very first generation to have the opportunity to prevent and reverse cognitive decline. There is so much that can be done, and things are getting better every year. Make sure that your children never have to worry about cognitive decline, and keep working to optimize your brainspan.
Letās all make 2026 a year to celebrate progress.
š· Dale Bredesen, MD
