NINDS

NINDS or the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that aims to reduce the burden of neurological disease - a burden borne by every age group, by every segment of society, by people all over the world.

History

The NINDS was established by the U.S. Congress in 1950 as the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness (NINDB). The name was changed to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in 1975 to more accurately reflect the Institute's research programs.

Mission

The mission of NINDS is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease. This is accomplished by providing funding and support to investigators, conducting research in its own laboratories and clinics, funding research at non-NIH institutions, and promoting the timely dissemination of scientific discoveries and their implications for neurological health to the public.

Research

NINDS supports and conducts research, both basic and clinical, on the normal 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.

Disorders

NINDS conducts research on over 600 neurological disorders. Some of the major types of disorders include: stroke, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Huntington's disease, and many forms of epilepsy.

See Also

• National Institutes of Health
• Neurology
• Neurological disorder