Funding Opportunity Number: RFA-NS-24-024
Deadline: November 1, 2023
Description
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS leads the NIH research programs in Alzheimer’s Disease Related Dementias (ADRD). Epidemiological studies have identified noninheritable risk factors for ADRD disease prevalence and progression. These include exogenous (e.g., environmental exposures), endogenous (e.g., microbiome dysbiosis), and behavioral (e.g., psychosocial) risk factors. Stress is another important risk factor for many neurological diseases including ADRD. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) solicits research on environmental stress caused by physical and social surroundings. There is growing evidence that environmental stressors such as heat, crowding, air quality, noise, and psychosocial stressors such as poverty, crime, violence, and economic disadvantage are associated with increased ADRD risk. However, the specific role that these risk factors play in ADRD remains under-explored. Acute and chronic environmental stress is more prevalent in rural and urban disadvantaged communities where many of the above risk factors are more prevalent. While it is well-known that there are biological determinants of dementia health disparities, there is less research on environmental stress factors that impact this biology.
NINDS is soliciting applications that propose research on the impact of environmental stress on the health inequities observed in ADRD prevalence, progression, and outcomes. Mechanisms and risk factors may vary across diverse human populations; thus, investigators are strongly encouraged to consider this in their study design or model systems. NINDS encourages activities focused on understanding and improving health equity in neurologic outcomes in disparate populations.
For more information, please see the funding opportunity website.