Battle for the Brain lip syncing competition raises awareness, funds for Alzheimer’s research

ATLANTA — Susan Watson and Michelle Rooks are bonded by friendship and by a disease that’s attacked their mothers. The two started a Facebook group in 2017 called Daughters Against Alzheimer’s that has since grown. It was a way to connect a community struggling with an incurable chronic illness. 

“We saw how isolating and heartbreaking the disease was,” Rooks said. “We really wanted to flip the script and do something bold and hopeful, something that would bring people together and move science forward.”

The two women created a bold impact with their annual Battle for the Brain, a lip syncing competition that aims to raise awareness and funds through community involvement. Think American Idol with ten teams competing in front of celebrity judges and 1,500 people in the crowd. More than 100 people volunteer for the event, which features around 200 performers.

Performers come from all walks of life. Max Hilsman is a managing director for Morgan Stanley. He lost his father-in-law and grandmother to Alzheimer’s. Hilsman also dresses up as iconic music legends, lets loose, and trades numbers for a microphone for Battle for the Brain.

“I’ve been Gene Simmons, I’ve been Slash from Guns N’ Roses, I’ve been part of the Bee Gees, part of the Rolling Stones,” Hilsman said. “It’s very promising to see the advancements in research and testing and in the treatment options now available that weren’t available ten years ago when we started this. This disease is so unique in that it’s very isolating. Many of the patients, you watch them deteriorate in real time, which is just an awful thing to experience. I would encourage those people, both affected as patients and as families, to get involved and to join a community.”

Last year, Battle for the Brain raised $1.5 million. Since 2017, the event has raised more than $7 million, with proceeds benefiting Emory University’s Goizueta Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. The goal is to raise $2 million at the 2026 Battle for the Brain, being held February 5 at the Coca-Cola Roxy.

The money has funded advances like blood biomarker testing, which can help detect Alzheimer’s earlier in patients, predict trends in the disease years in advance and lead to earlier intervention for treatment and prevention.

“We can lock arms and not just focus on the sadness but create joy from that sadness and do something with it, make an impact and feel good about that,” Watson said. “This is something we hope people feel is meaningful and gives them purpose and a way to channel the feelings they’re experiencing with this disease. My mom said scream from the rooftops about this. There’s so much stigma associated with it, certainly in the past. We’ve been trying to change that conversation and make it okay to talk about.”

Rooks said she noticed a big disconnect between awareness and funding for research. She estimated that 95% of supporters would not have otherwise been involved in Alzheimer’s research fundraising. Whether they’re screaming or singing, the message from the Daughters Against Alzheimer’s is clear. 

“Don’t hide it,” Rooks said. “Go to the doctor, tell a loved one, share your story, get it out there and that’ll help us make even more of a difference.”