When Washington Stops, So Does the Brain

The October 2025 shutdown is another headline for most Americans — but for people living with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and multiple sclerosis, it’s a quiet disaster.

The lights didn’t just go out in federal buildings; they went out in labs, clinical trials, and data centers tracking the slow unraveling of the human brain. Neuroscience runs on continuity. Every paused study or delayed FDA review breaks a thread that connects discovery to real-world relief. NIH grants on hold mean imaging studies sit in limbo, and the fragile progress around retinal biomarkers and OCT-based early detection drifts backward. The longer the standoff drags on, the more it costs — not in politics, but in progress. Patients don’t see a shutdown; they just see their options shrink. Stay connected to what’s still moving forward: Join the JuneBrain newsletter for updates on research, tech, and the fight to protect brain and eye health.