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Although invention and proof-of-concept testing of new technologies are key components of the BRAIN Initiative, to achieve their potential these technologies must also be optimized through feedback from end-users in the context of the intended experimental use. In this FOA we seek applications for the optimization of existing and emerging technologies and approaches that have potential to address major challenges associated with recording and manipulating neural activity, at or near cellular resolution, at multiple spatial and temporal scales, in any region and throughout the entire depth of the brain. This FOA is intended for the iterative refinement of emergent technologies and approaches that have already demonstrated their transformative potential through initial proof-of-concept testing, and are appropriate for accelerated development of hardware and software while scaling manufacturing techniques towards sustainable, broad dissemination and user-friendly incorporation into regular neuroscience practice. Proposed technologies should be compatible with experiments in behaving animals, and should include advancements that enable or reduce major barriers to hypothesis-driven experiments. Technologies may engage diverse types of signaling beyond neuronal electrical activity for large-scale analysis, and may utilize any modality such as optical, electrical, magnetic, acoustic or genetic recording/manipulation. Applications that seek to integrate multiple approaches are encouraged. Applications are expected to apply expertise that integrates appropriate domains of expertise, including where appropriate biological, chemical and physical sciences, engineering, computational modeling and statistical analysis.

The goal of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to stimulate research addressing fundamental questions in basic neuroscience. Proposed projects can address any area of neuroscience within the missions of the participating institutes and should focus on understanding the structure and/or function of the normal nervous system. While fundamental basic research often generates insights relevant to disorders of the nervous system, this FOA is not intended to stimulate research that is explicitly disease-related.

The purpose of this FOA is to continue support for the Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (PHACS) which addresses critical scientific questions on the clinical course of perinatally acquired HIV infection in adolescents and young adults and the oral and systemic health consequences of in utero and infant exposure to antiretroviral chemotherapy in representative cohorts of children in the United States. The data and operations center (DOC) will continue to coordinate clinical site activities (including community advisory board participation and activities), to provide methodological and analytical support, and to manage the database, including reconciliation with collaborating databases

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is limited to those Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) of Rare Diseases Clinical Research Consortia (RDCRC) who received an NINDS award under the Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN) program through RFA-TR-13-002, or an NCI award through RFA-OD-08-001. The purpose of this limited competition FOA is to allow these NINDS- and NCI-awarded consortia an opportunity to compete for another four years of participation in the RDCRN. The RDCRN is a collaborative and coordinated network of Clinical Research Consortia comprised of investigators and patient advocacy groups committed to investigation of rare diseases working in partnership with a Data Management Coordinating Center (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-TR-13-003.html) to enhance communication and sharing of resources in a multidisciplinary approach. This FOA intends to support: 1) collaborative clinical research in rare diseases, including longitudinal studies of individuals with rare diseases, clinical studies and/or clinical trials; 2) career development and advancement opportunities for clinical investigators in rare diseases research; 3) pilot/demonstration (proof of concept) clinical research projects; and 4) access to information related to rare diseases for basic and clinical researchers, physicians, patients, and the lay public.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) invites applications for Center Core Grants that provide resources and facilities shared by a minimum of six NINDS-supported investigators, and supporting a wider base of neuroscience research. The proposed Centers should offer services and expertise that would be difficult or impractical to support in individual labs. The Centers are expected to capitalize on economies and synergies associated with shared resources, and to foster a collaborative environment among neuroscientists at host institutions.

This FOA will support research training programs for junior faculty in the Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI)-supported institutions, which are located in Africa, to increase their capacity to participate in and carry out locally relevant research that contributes to improved human health and to foster the next generation of faculty researchers in Africa.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to establish a Model Organisms Screening Center for evaluating the pathogenicity and function of approximately 200 gene variants per year identified through the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN). Responsive applications will propose to establish a screening platform involving at a minimum Drosophila and zebrafish models; the screening pipeline may include additional small animal models or cell-based assays, as appropriate, to analyze the function of UDN gene variants in the context of the respective UDN patient's disease phenotype. This initiative is funded through the NIH Common Fund which supports cross-cutting programs that are expected to have exceptionally high impact.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to invite applications for the Consortium on Biomarkers and Outcome Measures of Social Impairment in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in order to generate objective tools for use in clinical trials of behavioral or pharmacologic interventions. The FOA will support a Consortium project to conduct a multi-site study to assess a well-justified set of standardized lab-based measures of domains of social impairment and biological measures (resting state and task-based EEG as well as eye tracking measures) that show promise in school age individuals with ASD at baseline, 6 and 24 week time points. The intent of the FOA is to qualify a set of measures that can be used as stratification biomarkers and/or as sensitive and reliable objective measures of social impairment in ASD clinical trials. A key goal of the Consortium projectis to provide a community resource for broad sharing of all data generated including processed/analyzed data, with rapid and timely deposition of data into the National Database for Autism Research (NDAR). All data generated in this project are expected to be deposited in NDAR and will be accessible for use by all qualified investigators. In addition, blood (DNA) samples are expected to be deposited in the NIMH Repository and Genomics Resource for future research use. The Consortium project will assess the following: (1) whether lab-based measures of specific domains of social impairment in ASD are more sensitive indicators of clinical status compared to commonly used clinician and caregiver assessments of social impairment for their potential use as outcome measures in clinical trials; (2) whether eye-tracking, electrophysiological (EEG) paradigms, or a combination of the two, have potential utility as stratification biomarkers and/or as sensitive and reliable measures of change in ASD clinical trials; (3) the relationship (correlation) of lab-based measures of domains of social impairment to eye tracking or EEG (resting state and task-based) paradigms; and (4) the relationship (correlation) of lab-based measures of domains of social impairment to commonly used clinician and caregiver assessments of social impairment. In addition, the FOA includes a resource aim for the collection of blood (DNA) samples from all subjects, including the parents of ASD subjects, for future genomic analyses.

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Parkinson's Disease Biomarkers Program (PDBP), The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) Parkinson's Disease cohorts and biosample collections, the NINDS-sponsored National Brain and Tissue Resource for Parkinson's Disease and Related Disorders at the Banner Sun Health Research Institute and the Harvard Biomarker Study Biospecimen Repository offer unique biospecimen resources and corresponding clinical data for Parkinson's Disease biomarker discovery, optimization and replication studies. This FOA allows an investigator to apply for access to non-renewable biosamples from one or more of these biosample collections.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages exploratory/developmental research grant applications, proposing the development of innovative, collaborative research projects on brain and other nervous system function and disorders throughout life, relevant to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Scientists in the United States (U.S.) or upper middle income countries (UMICs) are eligible to partner with scientists in LMIC institutions. Income categories used are as defined by the World Bank at http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications/country-and-len…. These grants are expected to inform the development of more comprehensive research programs that contribute to the long-term goals of building sustainable research capacity in LMICs to address nervous system development, function and impairment throughout life and to lead to diagnostics, prevention, treatment and implementation strategies. The proposed work may also contribute to developing a base for research networking and evidence-based policy beyond the specific research project.