Functional Neurology & ReCODE - Emerging Synergy in Reversing Cognitive Decline
How combining ReCODE with neuroplasticity-based care helps patients recover brain function more fully.
Last week’s TruNeura Mastermind explored an often-overlooked dimension of brain recovery — the role of functional neurology and neuroplasticity in reversing cognitive decline.
The session featured Dr. Garland Glenn, who shared how he integrates the ReCODE protocol with functional neurology to identify, localize, and rehabilitate neurological dysfunction at its source.
Why Functional Neurology Matters
While most functional medicine practitioners are skilled in assessing metabolic and inflammatory drivers of cognitive decline — mold, heavy metals, insulin resistance, mitochondrial dysfunction — Dr. Glenn emphasized that the brain itself must be retrained.
“Neuroplasticity is what makes the brain unique,” he explained. “It’s the only organ that can learn to do something new. When we help patients rebuild those pathways, we’re giving them a new way to function — not just removing obstacles.”
Dr. Glenn traced the origins of functional neurology back to Dr. Ted Carrick, who pioneered the field in the 1970s, along with later educators like Dr. Brandon Brock and Dr. Datis Kharrazian. Their work forms the foundation for a growing movement that blends neuroanatomy, rehabilitation, and functional medicine to restore cognitive capacity.
A Case Study in Neuroplasticity
To illustrate how this integration looks in practice, Dr. Glenn shared a case from his clinic — a 73-year-old woman whose husband brought her in for memory and balance concerns.
During initial testing, she became fatigued, nauseous, and vagal — unable to complete basic neurological assessments.
The issue wasn’t purely metabolic; it was neuronal exhaustion. Her neurons lacked the ATP to maintain firing stability.
“She didn’t fail because of motivation or willpower,” Glenn said. “She failed because her neurons ran out of fuel.”
Her cerebellar dysfunction triggered sympathetic overdrive, then vagal collapse — a classic example of energy instability in the nervous system.
The takeaway for clinicians: before cognitive training or detox protocols, mitochondrial support and neuronal stability must come first.
Exam Skills: The Art of Seeing the Brain
Dr. Glenn urged practitioners not to rely solely on labs or software-based tests like CNS Vital Signs or BrainHQ.
“The examination begins when the patient walks through the door,” he said. “Posture, pupillary fatigue, eye tracking — these are data points that tell you how the brain is functioning in real time.”
He encouraged practitioners to revisit detailed neuro exams — from pupillary response and two-point discrimination to pursuits, saccades, and postural control. These observations often pinpoint dysfunction before lab data arrives.
“We don’t run labs to figure out what’s wrong,” Glenn reminded the group. “We run labs to prove we’re right.”
Building a More Complete Care Model
Functional neurology adds a missing layer to traditional ReCODE-style interventions: it helps clinicians see the effects of metabolic dysfunction inside the nervous system and then use targeted exercises to restore lost circuits.
Dr. Glenn shared examples of at-home drills to stimulate neuroplasticity safely:
Short, frequent brain exercises (3–5 minutes, multiple times a day) to avoid mitochondrial overload.
Movement + cognition pairing, like walking while recalling numbers or smelling essential oils while naming words.
Simple repetition-based drills, such as memory games with playing cards, to rebuild procedural and short-term memory.
His rule of thumb: never exceed the metabolic capacity of the brain. Fatigued neurons can’t rewire; they must first refuel.
How to Learn More
Dr. Glenn recommended two educational paths for practitioners wanting to expand their functional neurological skills:
Functional Neurology Seminars (functionalneurologyseminars.com), a 10-module course by Drs. Brock and Kharrazian.
Future training being developed with Dr. Carrick, focused on mastering the neurological exam for functional clinicians.
Dr. DeFrancesco added that every practitioner should experience a functional neurology exam firsthand:
“It’s unlike anything we learned in medical school. Seeing how detailed and interactive it is will completely change how you evaluate cognitive decline.”
The TruNeura Connection
As the TruNeura community continues to explore new dimensions of cognitive recovery, sessions like this reinforce the platform’s mission: bridging functional medicine, data-driven insight, and brain-based rehabilitation.
TruNeura provides the infrastructure to measure progress, integrate multi-system data, and coordinate care between functional medicine and neurological practitioners.
👉 Book a TruNeura Demo to see how our platform helps clinicians integrate brain assessments, data tracking, and neuroplasticity-driven care for more complete cognitive recovery.