What is BetterBrain?

BetterBrain is an ongoing brain-health system. It measures where you are (labs, cognitive tasks, questionnaires, and wearables), organizes the data into ten health systems, and turns it into a ranked action plan you work through with an expert coach and BeBe, BetterBrain’s AI assistant.

The system brings together biomarker testing, cognitive tasks, self-assessments, a personalized protocol of evidence-based techniques, expert coaching, and Picks: curated products chosen to support your plan.

Unlike a one-time blood panel or an annual physical, BetterBrain is an ongoing system: you retest on a regular cadence, your protocol adjusts to your results, and your Brain Score tracks the change over time.

On this page

What are the 10 health systems BetterBrain tracks?

BetterBrain tracks ten health systems, the domains that drive brain health: Neurocognitive, Vascular, Metabolic, Inflammation, Gut Health, Hormonal, Mental Health, Musculoskeletal, Toxin, and Non-Modifiable. Your markers live in these systems, so you can see strengths, risks, and trends by domain:

Neurocognitive

How the brain processes information: attention, memory, language, executive function, and processing speed, plus structural integrity and network connectivity. It reflects the brain’s current performance and resilience, and it is influenced by the other systems through blood flow, metabolism, inflammation, hormones, sleep, and mental health.

Vascular

Supplies oxygen and nutrients to the brain and removes waste through cerebral blood flow. Lipids, blood pressure, vessel stiffness, and clotting factors determine how well this delivery network works. Vascular problems are major drivers of cognitive decline, so healthy arteries and microvasculature are fundamental for long-term brain function.

Metabolic

Governs energy availability and efficiency through glucose, insulin, lipids, liver and kidney function, and body composition. Stable metabolism prevents the glycemic swings and oxidative stress that can injure neurons and blood vessels, supporting steady energy, neuroplasticity, and lower risk of diabetes-related cognitive complications.

Inflammation

Inflammatory signaling coordinates healing, but when chronically elevated it can damage vasculature, disrupt synapses, and accelerate neurodegenerative cascades. Markers like hs-CRP and homocysteine act as barometers of systemic inflammatory tone. Keeping inflammation in a healthy range preserves vascular function and neuronal communication.

Gut Health

The gut influences the brain via the microbiome, immune system, and vagus-nerve pathways. Microbial metabolites and gut-barrier integrity affect inflammation, neurotransmitter precursors, and nutrient absorption. A well-functioning gut supports mood, cognition, and the micronutrient status essential for brain structure and signaling.

Hormonal

Hormones act as global regulators of metabolism, stress responses, growth, and reproduction. Thyroid hormones, cortisol, sex hormones, IGF-1, and others shape synaptic plasticity, sleep, and mood. Balanced endocrine signaling helps maintain energy, attention, and structural brain health across the lifespan.

Mental Health

Emotional well-being and cognitive health are tightly linked. Depression, anxiety, trauma-related symptoms, and chronic stress alter attention, memory, sleep, and health behaviors. Supporting mental health improves daily function, adherence to healthy routines, and the physiological environment that protects the brain.

Musculoskeletal

Muscle, bone, and movement capacity influence brain health through activity levels, myokines, balance, and fall risk. Strength and mobility promote regular blood flow to the brain, better metabolic control, and independence. Preventing frailty reduces injury risk and supports healthy aging.

Toxin

Exposure to alcohol, tobacco smoke, heavy metals, solvents, and air pollutants can impair mitochondrial function, increase oxidative stress, and harm vasculature and neurons. Monitoring and reducing toxic burden helps preserve cognitive performance and lowers cumulative risk for neurodegenerative processes.

Non-Modifiable

Age, sex, genetics, and family history set baseline risk and context. These factors cannot be changed, but they inform screening, preventive priorities, and the intensity of lifestyle focus. Learn what family history and genes really mean for dementia risk and how the APOE genetic test fits in.

How does BetterBrain read your health data?

BetterBrain reads your health data through four building blocks: markers, states, trends, and scores. Together they turn raw results into a clear picture of your brain health:

Markers

Labs, vitals, cognitive scores, and questionnaire items, each mapped to one of the ten health systems so strengths, risks, and trends are visible by domain.

States

Every marker is classified as optimal, fair, poor, urgent, or unknown, so you always know where you stand.

Trends

Historical lab draws and connected-device data show how each marker is moving over time, so progress is visible.

Scores

The Brain Score (0–100) synthesizes your status across systems into one number. The Protocol Score reflects how consistently you follow your plan.

What are the 12 BetterBrain practices?

BetterBrain’s twelve practices are the behavior pillars you can train over time: Sleep, Eat, Move, Learn, Relate, De-stress, Environment, Moderate Toxins, Prevent Brain Damage, Therapy, Drugs, and Supplement. Your protocol is organized by these. Here is why each practice matters:

Sleep

Sleep organizes the brain’s maintenance schedule. Deep sleep supports synaptic downscaling and tissue repair, while REM integrates emotional memories and creative problem-solving. Glymphatic fluid flow increases at night, helping clear metabolic byproducts such as beta-amyloid. A consistent sleep–wake rhythm anchors the circadian timing that coordinates hormones, metabolism, immune function, and body temperature.

Eat

Nutrition provides the raw materials and signaling molecules that shape brain structure and function. Whole-food patterns supply omega-3 fats for neuronal membranes, fiber for a healthy microbiome, and micronutrients that act as enzyme cofactors in energy production and neurotransmitter synthesis. Limiting refined sugars and ultra-processed foods helps maintain vascular integrity, glycemic control, and lower chronic inflammation.

Move

Physical activity is a systemic signal that upgrades brain and body. Aerobic exercise improves endothelial function and cerebral blood flow; strength training preserves muscle that regulates glucose disposal and myokine signaling; balance and mobility work reduce fall and injury risk. Movement elevates neurotrophic factors such as BDNF that foster synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis.

Learn

Purposeful learning drives neuroplastic remodeling. Studying new material, practicing skills, and retrieving knowledge strengthen distributed neural networks and build cognitive reserve, which helps the brain compensate for age-related changes. Structured learning with feedback enhances attentional control and problem-solving, while curiosity and mastery reinforce other healthy behaviors.

Relate

Human connection shapes biology and behavior. Supportive relationships buffer stress responses through hormonal and autonomic pathways, benefiting the cardiovascular and immune function relevant to brain health. Conversation, cooperation, and empathy stimulate language, memory, and executive networks. Belonging reduces loneliness, a risk factor associated with worse cognitive outcomes.

De-stress

Chronic, unregulated stress elevates cortisol and sympathetic tone, impairing sleep, memory consolidation, and metabolic control. Deliberate recovery practices such as slow breathing, mindfulness, nature exposure, and micro-recoveries across the day shift physiology toward parasympathetic balance, lowering inflammatory signaling and improving focus, mood, and emotional regulation.

Environment

Daily environments continuously cue the brain. Morning daylight strengthens circadian entrainment and alertness; evening light hygiene protects melatonin and sleep onset; clean indoor air reduces particulate-driven oxidative stress; quieter, cooler, darker sleep settings improve sleep continuity. Thoughtful environmental design also reduces cognitive load.

Moderate Toxins

Alcohol, tobacco smoke, psychoactive substances, heavy metals, solvents, and air pollutants can disrupt neurotransmission, damage mitochondria, and injure the vasculature and liver pathways that indirectly affect the brain. Prudent limits, lower-exposure choices, and better indoor air quality reduce cumulative toxic burden.

Prevent Brain Damage

Many major threats to cognition are preventable. Helmets, seatbelts, fall-prevention strategies, and vision and hearing care reduce traumatic injury risk; managing blood pressure and screening for conditions like sleep apnea or atrial fibrillation address reversible contributors to hypoxia and stroke. Neural tissue is the ultimate non-renewable resource.

Therapy

Evidence-based psychotherapies teach skills to process emotions, reframe unhelpful thoughts, and change behaviors that sustain distress. Improving depression, anxiety, trauma-related symptoms, or grief normalizes sleep and stress physiology and restores the executive control needed to follow through on other health practices.

Drugs

Medications can help or hinder brain health depending on choice, dose, timing, and interactions. Periodic reviews for side-effect profiles (especially anticholinergic or sedative load), plus adherence plans and deprescribing when appropriate, help maintain stable, brain-friendly physiology and reduce polypharmacy risks.

Supplement

Targeted supplementation can correct documented deficiencies and support specific pathways: omega-3s for membrane function, vitamin D for neuroimmune signaling, magnesium for synaptic activity and sleep regulation, and B-vitamins for methylation and homocysteine control. Quality, dosing, and interactions matter, and supplements work best on top of diet and lifestyle foundations, selected with professional guidance.

What techniques does BetterBrain recommend?

Techniques are the concrete, evidence-based actions nested under the twelve practices. There are hundreds in the BetterBrain protocol library, prioritized by expected impact and fit. These are some of the most common, high-impact examples:

Sleep

Consistent sleep–wake schedule: regular timing anchors the circadian rhythms that coordinate hormones, metabolism, and immune activity, improving sleep efficiency and daytime alertness.

Morning daylight exposure: bright natural light soon after waking strengthens circadian entrainment and stabilizes mood and attention.

Wind-down routine 60–90 minutes pre-bed: a repeated low-arousal sequence conditions the nervous system for sleep onset and reduces cortisol carryover.

Cool, dark, quiet bedroom: deepens slow-wave sleep, which supports memory consolidation and glymphatic clearance.

Eat

Mediterranean-style pattern: vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, olive oil, and fish supply fiber, polyphenols, and omega-3s that modulate inflammation and vascular health.

Glycemic-stable plate: centering meals on protein, fiber, and healthy fats blunts post-meal glucose spikes, protecting small cerebral vessels.

25–35 g fiber per day: fermentable fibers feed the microbes that influence gut-barrier integrity, immune balance, and neurotransmitter precursors.

Move

Zone-2 aerobic training 150–300 min/week: sustained, conversational-pace cardio improves mitochondrial density, endothelial function, and cerebral perfusion.

Strength training 2–3×/week: preserves the muscle mass and strength that regulate glucose disposal, posture, and fall resistance.

7–10k daily steps with breaks from sitting: frequent light movement reduces glycemic excursions and maintains balance capacity.

Learn

Deliberate practice with feedback: structured skill building and spaced repetition strengthen neural networks and cognitive reserve.

Weekly novelty challenge: rotating new tasks (language, music, crafts) engages multiple brain systems and sustains motivation.

Relate

Scheduled meaningful social time: regular, reciprocal interactions buffer stress physiology, stimulate language and memory circuits, and reinforce purpose.

Strengthen one close tie: investing in a reliable confidant enhances emotional regulation and resilience during setbacks.

De-stress

Slow breathing 5–10 minutes/day: extended exhalations increase vagal tone, lowering heart rate and perceived stress while improving attentional control.

Mindfulness practice 10 minutes/day: nonjudgmental attention reduces rumination, improves emotion regulation, and supports sleep quality.

Nature exposure breaks: green and blue spaces downshift sympathetic arousal and restore directed attention.

Environment

Morning outdoor light, evening blue-light reduction: aligns circadian phase for daytime alertness and nighttime melatonin protection.

HEPA filtration when air quality is poor: reduces particulate exposure linked to systemic inflammation.

Hearing protection in loud settings: prevents noise-induced damage and reduces the cognitive load of auditory strain.

Moderate Toxins

Alcohol within low-risk limits, with alcohol-free nights: lowers oxidative stress, sleep disruption, and hypertension risk.

Smoke avoidance and ventilation: minimizes combustion byproducts that impair endothelial and neuroimmune function.

Safe handling of solvents and heavy metals: reduces cumulative neurotoxic burden.

Prevent Brain Damage

Helmets, seatbelts, and fall-prevention training: lower traumatic brain injury risk, a major preventable cause of cognitive impairment.

Blood-pressure monitoring and control: protects the microvasculature and reduces stroke and white-matter disease risk.

Sleep apnea screening: treating nocturnal hypoxia improves cognition, mood, and cardiovascular markers.

Therapy

CBT or ACT: builds skills to reframe thoughts and align actions with values, reducing symptoms that interfere with sleep, focus, and health behaviors.

Trauma-informed therapy or grief counseling: processes high-arousal memories and loss, reducing the autonomic dysregulation that degrades cognitive performance.

Drugs

Medication adherence plan: stable dosing improves symptom control and reduces rebound effects that impair cognition.

Periodic medication review for anticholinergic or sedative load: identifies agents that worsen memory or alertness; deprescribing when appropriate, with a clinician, supports safer cognitive function.

Supplement

Omega-3 EPA/DHA: supports neuronal membrane fluidity and anti-inflammatory signaling.

Vitamin D3 + K2: influences neuroimmune pathways, calcium handling, and vascular balance.

Magnesium (e.g., glycinate): participates in synaptic activity and may aid sleep quality and stress regulation.

Methylated B-complex: supports one-carbon metabolism and homocysteine control relevant to vascular and cognitive outcomes.

Creatine monohydrate: augments phosphocreatine energy buffering in brain and muscle, supporting high-demand tasks.

Glycine or psyllium (context-dependent): glycine can aid sleep and inhibitory signaling; psyllium improves lipid and glycemic control.

Iron (only when deficient and supervised): correcting deficiency restores oxygen delivery and neurotransmitter synthesis, but must be dosed carefully with a clinician.

How does the BetterBrain Portal work?

The BetterBrain Portal works in five repeating steps: assess, see, act, support, and retest.

1. Assess

Upload or order labs, complete self-assessments and cognitive tasks, and connect your wearables.

2. See

Your markers are scored by health system, with states and trends showing exactly where you stand.

3. Act

Your protocol lists high-impact techniques ranked by expected impact and fit, with links to vetted Picks tools and supplements that support them.

4. Support

Coach sessions plus BeBe, BetterBrain’s AI assistant, keep you guided between sessions.

5. Retest

Retest on a regular cadence to track change over time. Your scores and trends show what is working.

What programs does BetterBrain offer?

Blueprint

A comprehensive assessment (labs, cognitive tasks, an expert session, and a personalized plan) with lifetime access to the Portal. Explore the Blueprint page for details.

Coaching Program

A structured 12-week coaching engagement with optional testing, guided by your coach and BeBe. Coaching is often covered by insurance, so check your coverage.

Let’s recap

BetterBrain is an ongoing brain-health system for reducing dementia risk and enhancing cognitive performance. It measures markers across ten health systems, classifies each by state, tracks trends over time, and synthesizes everything into your Brain Score (0–100). Your personalized protocol turns those insights into evidence-based techniques across twelve practices, supported by expert coaching, BeBe (BetterBrain’s AI assistant), and curated Picks. The Blueprint program delivers the comprehensive assessment; the 12-week Coaching Program delivers the structured follow-through.

The information on this page is educational only and is not medical advice. Technique and supplement choices should be individualized with a qualified healthcare provider, especially if you have existing conditions, take medications, or have abnormal lab results.