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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) intends to support the development of innovative quantitative imaging and other relevant biomarkers of myofascial tissues for pain management involving research participants using a two-phase grant funding mechanism. This effort is part of NIHs Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL)SM Initiative to speed the development and implementation of scientific solutions to the national opioid public health crisis. The NIH HEAL Initiative will bolster research across NIH to (1) improve treatment and prevention of opioid misuse and opioid use disorder and (2) enhance pain management. This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) seeks research applications to develop quantitative imaging biomarkers of myofascial tissues and assess their abilities to monitor responses and/or predict outcomes of a variety of pain management regimens. Candidates for the quantitative imaging biomarkers may include objective measures based on minimally invasive imaging technologies, electrophysiological recordings, integration of multiparametric imaging and electrophysiology approaches, or their integration with other markers (e.g., immune factors, genomic markers, physiological factors, etc.) through multiscale modeling or machine learning analysis. The first phase, funded by the R61, will provide funding for up to three years to develop quantitative measures that can differentiate myofascial tissue abnormalities in healthy versus latent, versus active myofascial pain stages using cross-sectional correlations with clinical signs/symptoms. In addition, the R61 phase should include team building and planning activities for the R33 phase. The second phase, funded under the R33, will provide up to two years of support to assess the abilities of the quantitative measures developed in the R61 phase to monitor responses and/or predict outcomes in response to specified therapies to relieve myofascial pain in longitudinal interventional studies.

The purpose of this FOA is to develop and use models to investigate the contribution of synaptic activity and circuit plasticity changes to the progression of disease processes that underlie neurodegeneration in dementia. The overall goal is to understand, from a mechanistic standpoint, the earliest synaptic, circuit and network changes that contribute to AD/ADRD disease onset and pathogenesis. A better in vivo mechanistic understanding of synaptic activity and circuit plasticity changes that underlie the earliest stages of neurodegeneration in AD/ADRD should increase opportunities for developing future interventions. Utilizing technology developed in NIH BRAIN programs is encouraged, including animal-based studies that validate in vivo relevance of findings based on cell-based or organoid-based research. Applications that rely entirely on cell-based or organoid-based systems are out of scope.

The NIH Research Education Program (R25) supports research education activities in the mission areas of the NIH. The over-arching goal of this NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research R25 program is to support educational activities that complement and/or enhance the training of a workforce to meet the nations biomedical, behavioral and clinical research needs. To accomplish the stated over-arching goal, this FOA will support creative educational activities with a primary focus on Courses for Skills Development. This FOA solicits Research Education Grant (R25) applications to develop and implement short courses on neurotherapeutics development for academic neuroscientists. The short courses should provide participants with a sufficient overview of the neurotherapeutics development process to (1) understand the steps required for therapeutics development, (2) anticipate and overcome common challenges in the process, and (3) interact effectively with collaborators who have expertise in various aspects of therapeutics development. The short courses should primarily target independent academic neuroscience researchers and senior post-doctoral fellows interested in incorporating treatment development into their research programs.

There is consensus that environmental toxicants are a risk factor for AD/ADRD, but causality has been largely elusive. While human studies demonstrating an association of AD/ADRD with toxicant exposures are relatively abundant, there is a clear unmet need for more mechanistic research to support or refute the clinical relevance and the biological plausibility of an impact on disease initiation, progression, or modification. This is especially important for understanding the potentially modifiable causes of racial and socioeconomic inequities. The RFA will encourage neuroscientists to conduct mechanistic AD/ADRD research on the actions of neurotoxicants on the nervous system. The scope of research includes but is not limited to in silico modeling, in vitro assay development to correlate chemical exposure to AD/ADRD biology, and in vivo studies on the modification of known AD/ADRD targets by neurotoxicants of concern, and conversely, whether known targets for these neurotoxins play a role in the etiology of AD/ADRD. The development and validation of neuropathological, neurophysiological, and neurobehavioral animal models that simulate potential toxicant exposures in humans would be one goal, and when possible, these studies will include comparisons of exposures across the lifespan.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to solicit applications to accelerate development, testing and implementation of evidence-based interventionsthat are culturally and linguistically appropriate for NIH-designated health disparity populations[1] (HDPs)to mitigate disparities in provision of care and treatment decisions, reduce susceptibility to chronic pain and improve patient outcomes. Applications are encouraged for studies that utilize evidence-based strategies that mitigate: 1) the effects of bias, stigma and discrimination at multiple levels, and 2) socioeconomic, environmental and other barriers to quality pain assessment, treatment and management are desired outcomes of this initiative. Strategies to increase successful HDP patient engagement and bolster inclusion to enhance better pain management outcomes are also desired.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) invites research projects that seek to explain the underlying mechanisms, processes, and trajectories of social relationships and how these factors affect outcomes in human health, illness, recovery, and overall wellbeing. Types of projects submitted under this FOA include studies that prospectively assign human participants to conditions (i.e., experimentally manipulate independent variables) and that assess biomedical and/or behavioral outcomes in humans to understand fundamental aspects of phenomena related to social connectedness and isolatedness. NIH considers such studies as prospective basic science studies involving human participants that meet the NIH definition of basic research and fall within the NIH definition of clinical trials (see, e.g., NOT-OD-19-024) Types of studies that should submit under this FOA include studies that prospectively assign human participants to conditions (i.e., experimentally manipulate independent variables) and that assess biomedical or behavioral outcomes in humans for the purpose of understanding the fundamental aspects of phenomena without specific application towards processes or products in mind. Applications proposing studies that include but not limited to model animal research or observational studies involving humans should submit under the companion Clinical Trials Not Allowed version of this FOA.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) invites research projects that seek to model the underlying mechanisms, processes, and trajectories of social relationships and how these factors affect outcomes in health, illness, recovery, and overall wellbeing. Both animal and human subjects research projects are welcome. Researchers proposing basic science experimental studies involving human participants should consider the companion FOA TEMP-14931 "Research on Biopsychosocial Factors of Social Connectedness and Isolation on Health, Wellbeing, Illness, and Recovery (R01 Basic Experimental Studies with Humans Required)".

The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to invite applications to continue support of a national program of mentored research career development for junior neurosurgeon faculty at institutions nationwide that support neurosurgical research. The goal of the program is to expand the cadre of neurosurgeon investigators trained to conduct research into neurological disorders, making use of their neurosurgical training.

The neurovascular unit involves multiple pathways that contribute to neurodegeneration. Astrocytes, due to their overlapping roles regulating the blood brain barrier, neuronal health and response to degenerating cells, are uniquely positioned to be therapeutic targets. Astrocytes are a fundamental component of the neurovascular unit and are known to play a role in regulating the blood brain barrier and APOE signaling. However, the mechanistic role of astrocytes for the neurovascular unit in health and disease, including in vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) and across the spectrum of AD/ADRD diagnoses, is largely unknown, and represents a gap area and an opportunity for research investment. This initiative would represent the first targeted initiative on the fundamental role of astrocytes in AD/ADRD at the NIH.

The purpose of this FOA is to provide support for institutional research training programs in Alzheimers Disease/Alzheimers Disease-Related Dementias (AD/ADRD). These institutional research training programs should produce well-trained neuroscientists who leave the program with the research skills and scientific knowledge to make a significant contribution to research on AD/ADRD cognitive impairment and dementia. Programs should be designed to enhance the breadth and depth of training across the spectrum AD/ADRD research areas (e.g. AD, Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (VCID), Lewy Body Dementia (LBD), Fronto-temporal Dementia (FTD) and mixed dementias) by incorporating didactic, research and career development components within this theme into a program that fosters exceptional research skills and knowledge. Programs may support basic, clinical and/or translational research. Programs supported by this FOA must include formal components to ensure a thorough understanding of experimental design, statistical principles and methodological approaches, analytical skills, and skills for communicating science, both orally and in writing, to a wide variety of audiences. All programs are expected to design and/or provide opportunities and activities that will foster the development of quantitative literacy and the application of quantitative approaches to the trainees' research. These training programs are intended to be 2 years in duration and support training of one or more of the following groups: dissertation stage predoctoral students in their 3rd and/or 4th year of graduate school, postdoctoral fellows and fellowship-stage clinicians. (NINDS does not support first or second year graduate students under this FOA).