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The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) supports basic, translational, and clinical research on the brain and nervous system and uses that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease for all people. Within the Division of Translational Research (DTR) at NINDS, the Office of Neural Exposome and Toxicology (ONETOX) supports research and provides resources to advance knowledge of internal and external exposures that affect brain and nervous system health (Neural Exposome), leads research related to chemical threats, and provides resources that promote chemical safety.
ONETOX Branches
Neural Exposome
The mission of the NINDS Neural Exposome program is to seek knowledge of noninheritable risk factors for brain and nervous system disorders and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease for all people.
Learn More About Neural Exposome
Chemical Threats
Chemical Threats encompass the NIH Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (NIH CounterACT) program
Learn More About Chemical Threats
Chemical Safety
The mission of the NINDS Chemical Safety program is to provide information for drug safety, biohazards, Select Agents and the Dual Use Research of Concern and to use that knowledge to reduce the potential for chemical neurotoxic safety liabilities.
Resources and Tools
Contacts
Shardell Spriggs, Ph.D. |Acting Director
shardell.spriggs@nih.gov
Neel Dhruv, Ph.D. | Program Director
neel.dhruv@nih.gov
Claudia Figueroa-Romero, Ph.D. | Health Program Specialist
claudia.figueroa-romero@nih.gov
Sara Sameni, Ph.D. | Health Program Specialist
sara.sameni@nih.gov
Ashley Givens-Burton, MEd | Operations Coordinator
ashley.givens@nih.gov
For Program Inquires contact: NINDS ONETOX
Funding Opportunities
Highlighted Topic: Neural Exposome Factors that Affect Brain Health and Neurological Disorders
Forecasted Funding Opportunity: Exposomic Contributions to ADRD Pathology and Resilience
News & Events
Informational Webinar:NINDS Support of Neural Exposome Research
April 7, 2026 | 3:00 pm ET
Workshop: Advancing Exposome Research in Neurological Disorders and Stroke
January 13 - January 15, 2026
Past Workshops & Webinars
Webinar: NINDS Neural Exposome Top Priorities (NEXT) Working Group Strategic Planning Open Session
July 15, 2024 | 2PM ET
Virtual Workshop: The Right Tools and Resources for Neural Exposome Research
April 19, 2024 | 1PM ET
Virtual Workshop: Team Science to Advance Neural Exposome Research
February 29, 2024 | 1PM EST
OPEN Stage Webinar: The Neural Exposome - How NINDS is Supporting Exposomic Research
October 23, 2023 | 1PM EDT
Workshop: Status Epilepticus after Benzodiazepines: Seizures and Improving Long Term Outcomes
February 28 - March 1, 2023
Resources
Tamiz AP, Koroshetz WJ, Dhruv NT, Jett DA. 2022. A focus on the neural exposome . Neuron. PMID: 35349785 .
Related Topics :
Databases:
Comparative Toxicogenomic Database (CTD)
The Comparative Toxicogenomic Database (CTD) launched in 2004 is a well-known publicly available resource for curated data on the linkage between human exposures and how they influence genes, biology, and human health.
NeurotoxKB
NeurotoxKB provides information on potential neurotoxicants that is compiled and manually curated along with supporting evidence from published scientific studies.
Environmental Neuroscience Reports:
The National Academies of Sciences Engineering Medicine Environmental Neuroscience: Advancing the Understanding of How Chemical Exposures Impact Brain Health and Disease: Proceedings of a Workshop
Integrating the Science of Aging and Environmental Health Research: Proceedings of a Workshop