Dr. Rusk’s Precision Pillars of Brain Health Program

A Root-Cause, Precision Lifestyle, and Nervous System–Based Protocol to Support Brain Health and Dementia Prevention

Over decades of clinical work in neuropsychology and integrative brain health, I have developed and now teach Dr. Rusk’s Precision Pillars of Brain Health Program—a root-cause, precision lifestyle, and nervous system–based framework designed to protect, restore, and optimize brain function across the lifespan. The program has be implemented for individual patients small groups larger groups and adapted to corporate and insurance based programs. It has been adapted to be a four week training, a twelve week training and a more recently a sixteen week program.

This program draws from neuroscience, neuropsychology, somatic psychology, Polyvagal Theory, functional medicine, and long-standing spiritual and contemplative traditions, integrating modern science with embodied approaches to healing. It is also informed by the pioneering work of Dale Bredesen and the broader root-cause model of brain health, which recognizes that Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias arise from multiple interacting contributors, not a single pathology.

What makes this program distinct is its precision lifestyle approach. Rather than offering generic recommendations, each individual receives a precision prescription—tailored to their unique biology, lifestyle, medical profile, immune and inflammatory status, stress physiology, and nervous system patterns.

At its core, this is a nervous system– and vagus nerve–based model. Brain health depends on the nervous system’s capacity to move flexibly between activation, connection, rest, and repair. When this flexibility is lost, risk increases for anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, and neurodegenerative disease.

 

Why Precision Brain Health Matters for Alzheimer’s and Dementia

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are not caused by a single factor. They are the result of years—often decades—of interacting processes, including chronic inflammation, immune dysregulation, metabolic dysfunction, vascular disease, sleep disruption, stress overload, and social isolation, gut dysbiosis and so many other factors.

Importantly, most of these drivers are modifiable.

Research increasingly shows that prevention and treatment of cognitive decline require:

• Early identification of individual risk patterns
• Multi-domain lifestyle and medical interventions
• Attention to nervous system regulation and chronic stress physiology

A precision brain health model allows us to intervene upstream—long before memory loss becomes disabling—and to slow progression even after symptoms begin. Supporting the nervous system, immune balance, metabolic health, and social engagement is not optional; it is central to protecting the brain against neurodegeneration.

 

A Precision, Nervous System–Based Framework

The Precision Pillars model recognizes that cognition, mood, immune function, inflammation, and energy are all shaped by whether the nervous system is operating from chronic threat or relative safety.

Rather than offering generic lifestyle advice, this program emphasizes precision prescriptions, tailored to:

• Individual nervous system states and stress responses
• Vagal tone and recovery capacity
• Medical, metabolic, vascular, and immune contributors
• Lifestyle realities, values, and goals

Each pillar below is adjusted to support that person’s capacity for activation and restoration—an essential requirement for long-term brain resilience.

 

The Eight Precision Pillars of Brain Health

Pillar 1: Sleep and Stillness

Sleep is one of the brain’s most active restorative states, supporting memory consolidation, metabolic waste clearance, immune regulation, and emotional recalibration. Stillness—through quiet awareness, breath-based practices, or contemplative pauses—supports vagal regulation and parasympathetic recovery.

Disrupted sleep and chronic hyperarousal are strongly associated with cognitive decline. Precision sleep strategies are individualized to restore rhythm, safety, and nervous system flexibility rather than forcing rigid rules.

Pillar 2: Movement

Movement supports blood flow, mitochondrial health, neuroplasticity, and mood regulation. Just as important, it trains the nervous system to activate and recover.

Precision movement balances stimulating activity (walking, strength training, aerobic exercise) with slower, regulating practices such as yoga, qigong, and gentle mobility—preventing both overdrive and collapse.

Pillar 3: Nutrition and Gut Health

The gut–brain axis plays a central role in inflammation, immune signaling, neurotransmitter production, and metabolic health. Nutrition affects each brain differently depending on microbiome diversity, insulin sensitivity, stress load, and immune status.

This pillar applies a precision nutrition approach to stabilize blood sugar, reduce inflammation, support gut integrity, and protect cognitive function.

Pillar 4: Social Connection (Secure Attachment & Frequency Matter)

Human brains are wired for connection. Secure attachment relationships regulate stress physiology, support vagal tone, and reduce inflammatory signaling.

This pillar emphasizes both the quality and the frequency of social engagement. Secure, emotionally safe relationships matter deeply—but so does regular contact. Consistent, repeated experiences of connection train the nervous system to expect safety, which protects brain health over time. Even brief but frequent interactions can be profoundly protective.

Pillar 5: Stimulation and Challenge

Brains remain healthy through appropriate cognitive, sensory, and emotional challenge. Learning, novelty, and curiosity promote neuroplasticity—but only when matched to nervous system capacity.

Precision stimulation avoids both understimulation and overwhelm, helping the brain stay adaptable rather than exhausted.

Pillar 6: Medical Care (Precision & Root-Cause Focused)

Brain health cannot be separated from medical health. This pillar reflects a functional, root-cause approach, addressing contributors such as:

• Chronic inflammation
• Immune system dysregulation
• Metabolic and cardiovascular disease
• Hormonal imbalance
• Sleep disorders
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Infections and toxic exposures

Supporting immune resilience and identifying inflammatory drivers are critical for both dementia prevention and treatment.

Pillar 7: Mental Health

Anxiety, depression, trauma, and chronic stress are nervous system states that shape brain structure and function over time. When persistent, they increase risk for cognitive decline.

Mental health care in this program focuses on restoring nervous system flexibility through education, therapy, somatic regulation, and targeted clinical support.

Pillar 8: Detoxify

Environmental exposures add cumulative stress to the brain and immune system. Precision detoxification focuses on reducing ongoing exposures while supporting the body’s natural detox pathways through sleep, nutrition, hydration, gut health, and immune balance—without aggressive or destabilizing approaches.