The NIH Almanac
National Institute of Neurological
Disorders and Stroke
Originally National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness. Name changed 1968 to National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke; March 1975 to National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke; and October 1988 to present name. MissionCreated by the U.S. Congress in 1950, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) has occupied a central position in the world of neuroscience for nearly 60 years. The mission of NINDS is to reduce the burden of neurological disease—a burden borne by every age group, every segment of society, and people all over the world. To accomplish this goal, the Institute supports and conducts basic, translational, and clinical research on the healthy and diseased nervous system; fosters the training of investigators in the basic and clinical neurosciences; and seeks better understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of neurological disorders. The Institute's extramural program supports thousands of research project grants and research contracts at institutions across the country. Institutional training grants and individual fellowships support hundreds of scientists in training and provide career awards that offer a range of research experience and support for faculty members at various levels. Scientists in the Institute's laboratories and clinics in Bethesda, Maryland, conduct research in the major areas of neuroscience and on many of the most important and challenging neurological disorders. NINDS staff researchers also collaborate with scientists in several other NIH Institutes. This is a time of accelerating progress and increasing hope in the battle against brain disease. Advances in understanding the nervous system are beginning to pay off in the form of treatments for previously intractable problems such as spinal cord injury, acute stroke, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and Parkinson's disease, to name a few. It is fortunate that scientific progress is matched by unprecedented public commitment to research. NINDS is aware that increased public support and funding require visionary leadership and effective stewardship of the resources entrusted to the Institute. The NINDS vision is:
Important Events in NINDS History1950—On August 15 President Harry S. Truman signed Public Law 81-692, establishing the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness (NINDB). 1951—NINDB received its first budget of $1,232,253. 1953—The NINDB budget became a line item in the NIH budget. 1953-54—An intramural program of clinical investigation was initiated, including medical neurology, surgical neurology, and electroencephalography. Training programs in neurology and ophthalmology were initiated. 1955—Basic science training grants were initiated. 1956—The intramural clinical investigations program was expanded to include work in ophthalmology. 1957—Training programs in otolaryngology and pediatric neurology began. Field investigations involving collaborative and cooperative clinical studies began and the initial phase of the Collaborative Perinatal Project was started. 1960—The joint intramural basic research program of NINDB and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) was divided and organized into 2 basic research laboratory programs. 1961—First program projects and clinical research centers in stroke and communicative disorders were supported. 1962—Funds were appropriated for professional and technical information assistance. Training grants in neurosurgery and neuroradiology were initiated. 1963—Developmental graduate training grants were initiated. 1965—A head injury research program was established. 1966—The stroke research program was expanded; additional grants for clinical research centers were awarded. An antiepileptic drug testing program began. 1967—Vision outpatient research centers were established. A program of research in neural control mechanisms and prostheses was initiated. 1968—The Institute was renamed the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke. The NINDS blindness program became the nucleus of the National Eye Institute. 1969—Research Building 36—dedicated by the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) Secretary Robert H. Finch—was occupied by NINDS and NIMH research laboratories. 1971—Programs in applied neurological research (epilepsy, head injury), infectious diseases, and biometry were added to the Collaborative and Field Research Division. 1973—Two new communicative disorders programs began with establishment of an intramural Laboratory of Neuro-Otolaryngology and a section on communicative disorders in the Collaborative and Field Research Division. 1974—Laboratories for neuroimmunology and neuropharmacology were established. 1975—NINDS was renamed the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke (NINCDS). The Institute reorganized into 6 units for intramural research, fundamental neurosciences, communicative disorders, neurological disorders, stroke and trauma, and extramural activities. 1976—Dr. D. Carleton Gajdusek, chief, Laboratory of Central Nervous System Studies, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for work on atypical slow viruses. 1979—A neuroepidemiology section and a section of neurotoxicology were established within the Intramural Research Program. NINCDS substantially expanded extramural support of research studies using positron emission tomography. 1982—The Institute's Neurological Disorders Program was replaced by 2 new program units: convulsive, developmental, and neuromuscular disorders and demyelinating, atrophic, and dementing disorders. 1984—NINCDS established the Senator Jacob Javits Neuroscience Awards, which provide research grant support for up to 7 years in the basic and clinical neurosciences and communicative sciences. A Laboratory of Neurobiology and a Laboratory of Experimental Neuropathology were established within the Intramural Research Program. 1986—A Laboratory of Neural Regeneration and Implantation was established within the Intramural Research Program. 1987—NINCDS programs were renamed divisions, reflecting major areas of research interest: communicative and neurosensory disorders; convulsive, developmental, and neuromuscular disorders; demyelinating, atrophic, and dementing disorders; fundamental neurosciences; stroke and trauma; extramural activities; and intramural research. A Clinical Neuroscience Branch was established within the Division of Intramural Research. 1988—The communicative disorders program became the nucleus of the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. NINCDS was renamed the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. 1989—On July 25 President George H.W. Bush signed P.L. 101-58, declaring the 1990s the "Decade of the Brain." 1990—A Stroke Branch was established within the Division of Intramural Research. 1998—NINDS formed 7 planning panels comprising neuroscience leaders. Panel members outlined opportunities for research investment. 1999—NINDS published Neuroscience at the New Millennium: Priorities and Plans for the NINDS, Fiscal Years 2000-2001. 2000—The Parkinson's Disease Research Agenda was developed. 2001—NINDS celebrated its 50th anniversary with a 2-day scientific symposium, "Celebrating 50 Years of Brain Research: New Discoveries, New Hope." The Stroke Progress Review Group was created. The Research Agenda for Epilepsy was developed. 2002—The Report of the Stroke Progress Review Group was published. 2004—The new National Neuroscience Research Center opened. NINDS Legislative ChronologyAugust 15, 1950—Public Law 81-692 established NINDB "for research on neurological diseases (including epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and multiple sclerosis) and blindness." August 16, 1968—Public Law 90-489 renamed the NINDB the National Institute of Neurological Diseases. October 24, 1968—Public Law 90-636 changed the name of the Institute to the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke. October 25, 1972—Public Law 92-564 established a temporary National Commission on Multiple Sclerosis supported by NINDS. March 14, 1975—Part 8 of a HEW Statement of Organization, Functions, and Delegations of Authority was amended to change the title of NINDS to the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke. July 29, 1975—Public Law 94-63 established 2 temporary commissions to be supported by NINCDS: Commission for the Control of Epilepsy and Its Consequences, and Commission for the Control of Huntington's Disease and Its Consequences. October 28, 1988—Public Law 100-553 changed the name of NINCDS to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. June 10, 1993—Public Law 103-43 added language on Multiple Sclerosis research to the legislative mandate of the NINDS. November 13, 1997—Public Law 105-78, the Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease and Research Act, added language authorizing increased Parkinson's disease research and training, including research centers. November 17, 2000—Public Law 106-310, the Children's Health Act of 2000, amended the Public Health Service Act with regard to a wide range of issues affecting children's health. Specifically relevant to the NINDS mission were authorizing provisions for the expansion of autism research, including research centers of excellence, and the establishment of an interagency Autism Coordinating Committee; the establishment of a Pediatric Research Initiative; the development of a pediatric research loan repayment program; the conduct of a national longitudinal study of environmental influences on children's health and development; the study of risk factors for childhood cancers, including malignant tumors of the central nervous system; the support of research with respect to cognitive disorders and neurobehavioral consequences arising from traumatic brain injury; and the expansion and coordination of muscular dystrophy research. December 18, 2001—Public Law 107-084, the Muscular Dystrophy Community Assistance, Research, and Education Amendments of 2001, or the "MD-CARE Act," amended the Public Health Service Act to provide for the expansion and coordination of research with respect to various forms of muscular dystrophy, including the establishment of research centers of excellence and an interagency coordinating committee. December 19, 2006—Public Law 109-416, the Combating Autism Act of 2006, amended the Public Health Service Act to expand and coordinate research activities with respect to autism spectrum disorders through the Centers of excellence and to establish the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. October 8, 2008—Public Law 110-361, the Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Community Assistance, Research, and Education Amendments of 2008, reauthorizes programs at NIH with regard to muscular dystrophy, and designates the previously established research centers of excellence as Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Cooperative Research Centers. Biographical Sketch of NINDS Director Story C. Landis Ph.D.Dr. Landis has been Director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke since September 1, 2003. As Director, she oversees an annual budget of $1.5 billion and a staff of more than 900 scientists, physician-scientists, and administrators. Dr. Landis received her B.A. in biology from Wellesley College in 1967 and her master's degree (1970) and her Ph.D. (1973) from Harvard University. She held postdoctoral fellowships at the National Institute of Mental Health and Harvard Medical School and also held faculty positions at Harvard Medical School and Case Western Reserve University. At Case Western Reserve, she was responsible for the creation of a Department of Neurosciences. Under 5 years of her leadership, the program achieved worldwide acclaim and a reputation for excellence. In 1995, Dr. Landis joined NINDS as Scientific Director and was responsible for the direction and excellence of research conducted in the Institute's intramural program. In 2007 Dr. Landis was named Chair of the NIH Stem Cell Task Force. Dr. Landis' own research is aimed at understanding how functional connections form in the developing nervous system. She has received distinction as an Established Investigator of the American Heart Association, a Javits Neuroscience Investigator, and a McKnight Senior Investigator, and as an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Landis has served on numerous scientific advisory committees, including selection and review committees for the NIH and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. In 2002, she was named the President-Elect of the Society for Neuroscience. NINDS Directors
Major DivisionsThe Institute is organized into a division of extramural research and a division of intramural research. Division of Extramural Research The Division of Extramural Research funds grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts to support research, research training, and career development. The Division is organized into work groups known as "program clusters." The clusters were organized around critical, cross-cutting scientific topics that hold great promise for advancing knowledge and reducing the burden of neurological disease. The current scientific clusters are: Repair and Plasticity; Systems and Cognitive Neuroscience; Channels, Synapses, and Circuits; Neurogenetics; Neural Environment; and Neurodegeneration. In addition, the Extramural Division includes the Clinical Trials group, the Office of Minority Health and Research, the Technology Development group; and the Office of International Activities. It also includes the Office of Training and Career Development, which manages programs to meet the future needs of neuroscience. The Division monitors developments in these program areas; assesses the national need for research on the cause, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders of the brain and nervous system; and pursues technological development, the application of research findings, and research training and career development. The Division also (a) determines program priorities, (b) collaborates with other institutes of the NIH on specific research efforts, (c) prepares reports and analyses of national needs to assist NINDS staff and advisory groups in carrying out their responsibilities and in developing new areas of emphasis, and (d) consults with extramural scientists, voluntary health organizations, and professional associations in identifying research needs and developing programs to meet these needs. The Division coordinates training of young investigators in all basic and clinical neurological research areas. This includes institutional and individual training programs as well as support through research career development awards and clinical investigator development awards. Repair and Plasticity Mission:
Systems and Cognitive Neuroscience Mission:
Channels, Synapses, and Circuits Mission:
Neurogenetics Mission:
Neural Environment Mission:
Neurodegeneration Mission:
Office of Clinical Research Mission:
Office of Minority Health and Research Mission:
Office of Translational Research Anticonvulsant Screening Program: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/funding/research/asp/index.htm
Office of Training and Career Development The Training Office provides support for the research training and career development of outstanding young investigators during the predoctoral, postdoctoral, and early faculty phases of their careers. Future discoveries that will lead to a reduction in the burden of neurological disorders will require an outstanding cadre of scientists in basic, clinical, and translational research. Thus, support for training in all of these realms is a high priority at NINDS. Office of International Activities Mission:
Division of Intramural Research A full description of the NINDS Division of Intramural Research can be found at http://intra.ninds.nih.gov. Additional information on NIH neuroscience programs, including programs sponsored by the NINDS, is available at http://neuroscience.nih.gov. This page was last reviewed on
March 16, 2009
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