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Purpose
This Request for Information (RFI) seeks your perspective, comments, and suggestions related to Neural Exposome research priorities for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke ( NINDS ). A working group of NINDS's advisory council has developed a set of draft priorities to guide NINDS's neural exposome research efforts for the next 5-10 years.
Background
Very few diseases can be entirely explained by genetics alone. Rather, most disease etiology involves a complex interplay between genetic and non-inheritable factors. These non-inheritable factors comprise the concept of the “exposome” coined in 2005 by Dr. Chris Wild ( Wild, 2005 ). NINDS defines the neural exposome as all exogenous (e.g., environmental toxicants and climate), endogenous (e.g., microbiome and epigenetic mechanisms), and behavioral (e.g., psychosocial stress and lifestyle) risk factors that contribute to disease ( Tamiz et al., 2022 ). The neural exposome focuses on the non-genetic factors that influence neurological disorders, diseases, and damage to the brain and nervous systems, including those that may be affected by epigenetic changes.
The NINDS Office of Neural Exposome and Toxicology Research ( ONETOX ) was established in 2022 to support research on the neural exposome. ONETOX seeks to promote neural exposomic research by engaging the neuroscience community across the basic-translational-clinical continuum to focus on the effect of internal, external, and behavioral risk factors on neurological health.
In 2023, NINDS tasked the NANDS Council Neural Exposome Top Priorities ( NEXT ) Working Group, comprised of external research experts, to identify research priorities in the area of the neural exposome. The goals for the strategic priorities effort include:
- Better define what part of exposome research is within the NINDS mission
- Identify and prioritize areas of neural exposome research within the NINDS mission
- Identify best practices for communicating with and engaging neuroscientists in exposome research
- Identify best practices for fostering more collaboration between NINDS and other NIH institutes
- Identify tools and resources that advance neural exposome research
Information requested:
Comments are welcome from all stakeholders, including but not limited to, neuroscientists, toxicologists, environmental health scientists, health care providers, individuals and families affected by neurological conditions, patient advocates, health advocacy organizations, scientific or professional organizations, federal agencies, non-profit and private-sector organizations, as well as other interested members of the public. The NANDS Council Working Group will incorporate input from the RFI into their final recommendations for NINDS's neural exposome research priorities, which will be presented during an open session of the NANDS Council meeting on September 4, 2024.
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