Justice vetoes Rockefeller Institute funding that would have supported neuroscience research

An Alzheimer’s patient undergoes focused ultrasound treatment with the West Virginia University Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute team in Morgantown, W.Va. (WVU Medicine photo)

Gov. Jim Justice has vetoed legislation that would have contributed $2 million in state funding to West Virginia University to support neuroscience research at the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute in Morgantown.

House Bill 5014 would have used a supplemental appropriation of $2 million from the state’s fiscal year 2024 budget to help fund an expansion of research the institute has done on the use of ultrasound technology to cure Alzheimer’s disease and addiction.

Dr. Ali Rezai, executive chair of the Institute, told lawmakers during the session the institute wants to study the use of the ultrasound technology to treat patients with severe obesity and binge eating disorders and for combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

“We think that using ultrasound in the same part of the brain, which is the craving part of the brain that is malfunctioning and resetting that part, we may potentially be able to help people with severe binge eating disorder resulting in obesity,” Rezai said at the time.

The federal Food and Drug Administration had given the institute approval for the study, Rezai said. The institute would have planned to start the study in April or May, he said.

The Rockefeller Institute was recently featured in a “60 Minutes” segment for its research into treating Alzheimer’s disease and addiction using ultrasound.

The bill would also have appropriated $4 million for other hospitals seeking research funding.

“While I wholeheartedly support our hospitals and medical centers and the advancement of vital medical care for the citizens of West Virginia, these two appropriations direct the grant of large sums of money with little context or direction for the use of such funding,” Justice wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Mac Warner explaining the veto. “The language of this bill is ambiguous as to the Legislature’s intent and just what types of research may be funded and no context or background has been provided to my office.”

Justice added that it’s “imperative” to take a prudent approach and address questions about the state budget before approving appropriations like this one. The appropriation to WVU may be considered during the upcoming special legislative session, he said.

The bill, sponsored by House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, passed unanimously in the House of Delegates and in the Senate. Hanshaw was not available for comment on Friday.

A spokeswoman for the Rockefeller Institute declined to comment.

In a statement Friday afternoon, the West Virginia Democratic Party expressed “deep disappointment” in the governor’s decision to veto the appropriation and called on him to reconsider.

“The Rockefeller Neuroscience Center is an internationally recognized leader in this kind of groundbreaking research,” Chair Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, said in the statement. “The Governor’s veto is a setback for every family with a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. This modest investment could spare countless individuals in West Virginia and around the world from the debilitating effects of this tragic disease.”

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