Agency: Research to Prevent Blindness/Reader’s Digest Partners for Sight Foundation
Program: Innovations in Technology Low Vision Research Awards
Deadline: Preliminary applications are due October 19, 2015; Final applications from Invitees are due March 1, 2016
Summary:
The RPB/Reader’s Digest Partners for Sight Foundation (RDPFS) Innovations in Technology Low Vision Research Award: up to $100,000 over one year. One award will be given in each of three years.
Low vision refers to chronic vision impairment that is not correctable by eyeglasses, contact lenses, medicines or surgery. Many eye disorders can lead to low vision, including age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. Injury to the eye or to a portion of the brain involved in sight can also produce low vision. Low vision significantly and negatively impacts a person’s visual activities of daily living and quality of life.
The National Eye Institute estimated that nearly 3 million people in the U.S. suffered low vision in 2010 with projections that this number would increase to nearly 5 million in 2030 and 9 million in 2050. Low vision is among the 10 most common causes of disability in the U.S. Low vision can cause difficulty in common visual tasks such as reading, mobility (both walking and driving), and recognizing people and objects.
The RPB/RDPFS Award promotes the development of assistive devices for persons with low vision and we encourage submissions as follows:
--Those with a focus on mobile and/or wearable innovations;
-- Solutions that can be implemented on multiple platforms, such as electronic tablets or phones;
-- Solutions for persons with remaining functional vision rather than those who are totally blind;
-- Environmental adaptations which can improve a visually impaired individual’s ability to perform a daily living activity;
-- Interdisciplinary collaborations that bring together technical expertise coupled with real-life experience with persons with low vision;
-- Applications from early-career investigators.
Agency website
Friday, August 21, 2015
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
U.S. - India Collaborative Vision Research Program (R01)
Agency: NEI
Program: U.S. - India Collaborative Vision Research Program (R01)
Deadline: November 9, 2015; November 9, 2016; November 9, 2017
Summary:
This funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages applications from United States (U.S.)-based institutions with an Indian institution partner to establish bilateral collaborations that will advance science and technology important to understanding, preventing, and treating blinding eye diseases, visual disorders, and their complications. The U.S.-India Collaborative Vision Research Program is designed to develop collaborations between scientists and institutions in the United States and India to conduct high quality vision research of mutual interest and benefit to both countries while developing the basis for future institutional and individual scientific collaborations.
This FOA is intended to support collaborations between the U.S. and India that focus on the basic biology and/or genetics of ophthalmic diseases including diabetic retinopathy and ocular inflammation, using the unique resources that exist in India, such as large families with extensive pedigrees. Research examples include, but are not limited to:
- Family based genome wide association studies (GWAS) on cohorts of consanguineous families from India to identify genetic factors that predispose to both Mendelian and complex forms of eye diseases.
- Deep sequencing to examine existing genetic variants identified in other populations;
- Validation of novel GWAS findings in appropriate animal models;
- Identification of biomarkers that predict and/or assess risk and response to interventions;
- Define the contributions of specific genetic risk factors and environmental exposures that underlie eye diseases;
- Studies on birth cohorts in India to determine the effects of the environment on the development of factors that predict risk influencing eye diseases such as imprinting and other epigenetic effects.
Full Announcement
New Instructions for NIH Biosketch
The instructions for the NIH Biosketch have changed and take effect with deadlines on May 25, 2015. Originally, the NIH bio was similar to a CV with a listing of the investigator's education, professional experience and publications. Over time the biosketch has taken on a more narrative format with the Research Support Section and Personal Statement. The new instructions replace the Publications section with a new section entitled, "Contributions to Science". Here an investigator can describe up to 5 of their most significant contributions to science. Each contribution needs to be referenced by up to 4 peer-reviewed publications or other research products, such as a video, patent or software. The page limit for the Biographical Sketch has been increased from four to five pages.
A. Personal Statement
Briefly describe why you are well-suited for your role in the project described in this application. The relevant factors may include aspects of your training; your previous experimental work on this specific topic or related topics; your technical expertise; your collaborators or scientific environment; and your past performance in this or related fields (you may mention specific contributions to science that are not included in Section C). Also, you may identify up to four peer reviewed publications that specifically highlight your experience and qualifications for this project. If you wish to explain impediments to your past productivity, you may include a description of factors such as family care responsibilities, illness, disability, and active duty military service.
B. Positions and Honors
List in chronological order previous positions, concluding with the present position. List any honors. Include present membership on any Federal Government public advisory committee.
C. Contribution to Science
Briefly describe up to five of your most significant contributions to science. For each contribution, indicate the historical background that frames the scientific problem; the central finding(s); the influence of the finding(s) on the progress of science or the application of those finding(s) to health or technology; and your specific role in the described work. For each of these contributions, reference up to four peer-reviewed publications or other non-publication research products (can include audio or video products; patents; data and research materials; databases; educational aids or curricula; instruments or equipment; models; protocols; and software or netware) that are relevant to the described contribution. The description of each contribution should be no longer than one half page including figures and citations. Also provide a URL to a full list of your published work as found in a publicly available digital database such as SciENcv or My Bibliography, which are maintained by the US National Library of Medicine.
D. Research Support
List both selected ongoing and completed research projects for the past three years (Federal or non-Federally-supported). Begin with the projects that are most relevant to the research proposed in the application. Briefly indicate the overall goals of the projects and responsibilities of the key person identified on the Biographical Sketch. Do not include number of person months or direct costs.
A. Personal Statement
Briefly describe why you are well-suited for your role in the project described in this application. The relevant factors may include aspects of your training; your previous experimental work on this specific topic or related topics; your technical expertise; your collaborators or scientific environment; and your past performance in this or related fields (you may mention specific contributions to science that are not included in Section C). Also, you may identify up to four peer reviewed publications that specifically highlight your experience and qualifications for this project. If you wish to explain impediments to your past productivity, you may include a description of factors such as family care responsibilities, illness, disability, and active duty military service.
B. Positions and Honors
List in chronological order previous positions, concluding with the present position. List any honors. Include present membership on any Federal Government public advisory committee.
C. Contribution to Science
Briefly describe up to five of your most significant contributions to science. For each contribution, indicate the historical background that frames the scientific problem; the central finding(s); the influence of the finding(s) on the progress of science or the application of those finding(s) to health or technology; and your specific role in the described work. For each of these contributions, reference up to four peer-reviewed publications or other non-publication research products (can include audio or video products; patents; data and research materials; databases; educational aids or curricula; instruments or equipment; models; protocols; and software or netware) that are relevant to the described contribution. The description of each contribution should be no longer than one half page including figures and citations. Also provide a URL to a full list of your published work as found in a publicly available digital database such as SciENcv or My Bibliography, which are maintained by the US National Library of Medicine.
D. Research Support
List both selected ongoing and completed research projects for the past three years (Federal or non-Federally-supported). Begin with the projects that are most relevant to the research proposed in the application. Briefly indicate the overall goals of the projects and responsibilities of the key person identified on the Biographical Sketch. Do not include number of person months or direct costs.
Collaborative Research in Computational Neuroscience (CRCNS)
Agency: NSF/NIH/FMER/FNRA/BSF
Program: Collaborative Research in Computational Neuroscience (CRCNS) Innovative Approaches to Science and Engineering Research on Brain Function
Deadline: October 29, 2015
Summary:
Computational neuroscience provides a theoretical foundation and a rich set of technical approaches for understanding complex neurobiological systems, building on the theory, methods, and findings of computer science, neuroscience, and numerous other disciplines.
Through the CRCNS program, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF), the French National Research Agency (Agence Nationale de la Recherche, ANR), and the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF) support collaborative activities that will advance the understanding of nervous system structure and function, mechanisms underlying nervous system disorders, and computational strategies used by the nervous system.
Two classes of proposals will be considered in response to this solicitation: Research Proposals describing collaborative research projects, and Data Sharing Proposals to enable sharing of data and other resources.
Domestic and international projects will be considered. As detailed in the solicitation, international components of collaborative projects may be funded in parallel by the participating agencies. Opportunities for parallel funding are available for bilateral US-German Research Proposals, US-German Data Sharing Proposals, US-French Research Proposals, US-French Data Sharing Proposals, US-Israel Research Proposals, and multilateral proposals involving the United States and 2 or more additional countries.
Appropriate scientific areas of investigations may be related to any of the participating funding organizations. Questions concerning a particular project's focus, direction and relevance to a participating funding organization should be addressed to the appropriate person in the list of agency contacts found in Section VIII of the solicitation.
NSF will coordinate and manage the review of proposals jointly with participating domestic and foreign funding organizations, through a joint panel review process used by all participating funders. Additional information is available in Section VI of the solicitation.
Full Announcement
Program: Collaborative Research in Computational Neuroscience (CRCNS) Innovative Approaches to Science and Engineering Research on Brain Function
Deadline: October 29, 2015
Summary:
Computational neuroscience provides a theoretical foundation and a rich set of technical approaches for understanding complex neurobiological systems, building on the theory, methods, and findings of computer science, neuroscience, and numerous other disciplines.
Through the CRCNS program, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF), the French National Research Agency (Agence Nationale de la Recherche, ANR), and the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF) support collaborative activities that will advance the understanding of nervous system structure and function, mechanisms underlying nervous system disorders, and computational strategies used by the nervous system.
Two classes of proposals will be considered in response to this solicitation: Research Proposals describing collaborative research projects, and Data Sharing Proposals to enable sharing of data and other resources.
Domestic and international projects will be considered. As detailed in the solicitation, international components of collaborative projects may be funded in parallel by the participating agencies. Opportunities for parallel funding are available for bilateral US-German Research Proposals, US-German Data Sharing Proposals, US-French Research Proposals, US-French Data Sharing Proposals, US-Israel Research Proposals, and multilateral proposals involving the United States and 2 or more additional countries.
Appropriate scientific areas of investigations may be related to any of the participating funding organizations. Questions concerning a particular project's focus, direction and relevance to a participating funding organization should be addressed to the appropriate person in the list of agency contacts found in Section VIII of the solicitation.
NSF will coordinate and manage the review of proposals jointly with participating domestic and foreign funding organizations, through a joint panel review process used by all participating funders. Additional information is available in Section VI of the solicitation.
Full Announcement
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
2015 Joanne Angle Investigator Award
Agency: Prevent Blindness
Program: 2015 Joanne Angle Investigator Award
Deadline: March 6, 2015
Summary:
The program is part of the non-profit group’s more than 100-year-old mission to prevent unnecessary vision loss. The award is named for Ms. Joanne Angle who served on the National Board of Directors for Prevent Blindness, and both its Government Affairs and Audit committees, in addition to her work with the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).
The deadline for the twelfth annual Joanne Angle Investigator Award is March 6, 2015. Grants are for a one-year period, up to $30,000, reviewed by a panel of scientists, and commence on July 1, 2015.
The 2015 Joanne Angle Investigator Award provides funding for research investigating public health related to eye health and safety. All research grants must promote the core mission of Prevent Blindness: preventing blindness and preserving sight. Basic laboratory science research will not be supported under this program.
Applications will be accepted in the following priority areas in adult vision, children’s vision, or eye injury:
Burden/economic aspects of eye disease/vision loss on society
Best practices to integrate vision screening/follow up care to system care access
Vision program effectiveness/evaluation
More informtion can be found on the organization's website
Program: 2015 Joanne Angle Investigator Award
Deadline: March 6, 2015
Summary:
The program is part of the non-profit group’s more than 100-year-old mission to prevent unnecessary vision loss. The award is named for Ms. Joanne Angle who served on the National Board of Directors for Prevent Blindness, and both its Government Affairs and Audit committees, in addition to her work with the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).
The deadline for the twelfth annual Joanne Angle Investigator Award is March 6, 2015. Grants are for a one-year period, up to $30,000, reviewed by a panel of scientists, and commence on July 1, 2015.
The 2015 Joanne Angle Investigator Award provides funding for research investigating public health related to eye health and safety. All research grants must promote the core mission of Prevent Blindness: preventing blindness and preserving sight. Basic laboratory science research will not be supported under this program.
Applications will be accepted in the following priority areas in adult vision, children’s vision, or eye injury:
Burden/economic aspects of eye disease/vision loss on society
Best practices to integrate vision screening/follow up care to system care access
Vision program effectiveness/evaluation
More informtion can be found on the organization's website
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Request for Blepharospasm/Meige Research Proposals
Agency: Benign Essential Blepharospasm Research Foundation
Program: Request for Blepharospasm/Meige Research Proposals
Deadline: August 31, 2015
Summary:
A major part of the charter of the Benign Essential Blepharospasm Research Foundation is to support research into causes and cures of blepharospasm. The BEBRF provides seed funding, or partial funding for research projects through an annual call for proposals for research.
To advance this goal, the foundation is inviting applications for research projects directly related to blepharospasm or Meige's Syndrome, both forms of cranial dystonia. Projects should focus on new treatments, pathophysiology and genetics, photophobia, and dry eye. Grants of up to $150,000 will be awarded.
To be eligible, principal investigators must possess an M.D. or Ph.D. degree. Non-U.S. citizens working at institutions abroad are also eligible to apply.
See the BEBRF website for complete program guidelines and application instructions.
Program: Request for Blepharospasm/Meige Research Proposals
Deadline: August 31, 2015
Summary:
A major part of the charter of the Benign Essential Blepharospasm Research Foundation is to support research into causes and cures of blepharospasm. The BEBRF provides seed funding, or partial funding for research projects through an annual call for proposals for research.
To advance this goal, the foundation is inviting applications for research projects directly related to blepharospasm or Meige's Syndrome, both forms of cranial dystonia. Projects should focus on new treatments, pathophysiology and genetics, photophobia, and dry eye. Grants of up to $150,000 will be awarded.
To be eligible, principal investigators must possess an M.D. or Ph.D. degree. Non-U.S. citizens working at institutions abroad are also eligible to apply.
See the BEBRF website for complete program guidelines and application instructions.
Friday, July 18, 2014
Connectomes Related to Human Disease (U01)
NEI is participating in this Funding Opportunity Announcement. They are interested in research in populations where the visual pathways may be compromised due to congenital or acquired disease, or injury (e.g. blindness, strabismus, amblyopia, and low vision). Cohorts of patients with visual disorders should be compared with normal age-matched controls. Studies of plasticity in the visual pathways associated with the loss or restoration of vision are of particular interest. NIMH, NIA, NIAAA, NIDA and NINDS are also participating. See below for more details
Agency: NIH
Funding Opportunity Number: PAR-14-281
Title: Connectomes Related to Human Disease (U01)
Deadline: November 14, 2014; July 14, 2015; July 14, 2016
Summary:
Background:
There has long been an interest in understanding the connectional organization of the human brain, though interest in connectivity has recently increased, as the tools to obtain such data have emerged and as other lines of inquiry have made clear the importance of such data. Prior to the Human Connectome Project (HCP), little neural connectivity data from humans was available.
Continuing to fill this knowledge gap is paramount because connectivity is a major organizing principle of the nervous system and is fundamental to understanding brain function and dysfunction. Attempts to understand neural connectivity in model organisms are helping to develop an integrated understanding of the interplay of genes, molecules, cells, neural systems, and behavior. Such understanding, in turn, provides the basis for detailed models from which hypotheses about brain function in health and illness can be generated. Without connectivity data, this kind of understanding is not possible for human brain function and dysfunction. Knowledge of human brain connectivity will transform human neuroscience by providing not only a qualitatively novel class of data, but also by providing the basic framework necessary to synthesize diverse data and, ultimately, elucidate how our brains work in health, illness, youth, and old age.
It is important to link connectivity data to architectonic features rather than merely to coordinates, or locations of sulci and gyri. The surface geometry of the human brain is extremely variable and idiosyncratic, and the relationship of surface features to functional subdivisions and their differential connectivity is imprecise. Classical neuroanatomy shows strong correlations between connectivity patterns and features such as cytoarchitecture and the differential distribution of molecular tags (including enzymes, neurotransmitters, transmitter receptors, expressed genes, etc.). For this reason, connectional studies in model organisms routinely relate connectional data to such architectonic data. While architectonic features have been mapped extensively in the human brain, the relationship of projections and connections to these features has heretofore not been demonstrated, because human connectivity data were absent. Linking such architectural features to the distribution of specific connections is providing a critical “anchor” that will permit connectional data to be related to a variety of other types of data, broadening and enhancing their utility.
Connectivity, in the context of brain architecture, has long figured in understanding, diagnosing, and treating certain neurological disorders. Increasingly, disrupted or aberrant connectivity is being implicated or suspected in the etiology of disorders not previously considered from this perspective. For example, it is very likely that quantifiable changes in connectivity accompany the variations in cortical thickness (as demonstrated with structural magnetic resonance imaging) that are seen in diseased brains (e.g., Alzheimer) relative to healthy brains, and that are seen in brains through the course of early development, through adolescence and senescence. Similarly, it is likely that qualitative or quantitative changes in connectivity contribute to morphometric differences observed in brains of those with particular disorders, such as schizophrenia.
The overall purpose of the HCP has been to develop and share knowledge about the structural and functional connectivity of the human brain. This purpose has been achieved through awards to two different multi-institutional research teams centered at Washington University (http://www.humanconnectome.org/) and Massachusetts General Hospital (http://www.humanconnectomeproject.org/). These teams have developed and optimized non-invasive imaging technologies to acquire structural and functional in vivo data about axonal projections and neural connections from brains of hundreds of healthy adults. Demographic data and data regarding sensory, motor, cognitive, emotional, and social function have also been collected for each subject. Subjects have also donated DNA samples for genotyping and that data will be available before the awards end in September 2015. The data and experimental protocols have been made available to the research community, and both are now being widely used. Both research groups are now undertaking pilot studies to explore the issues with extending the HCP to children and to older adults to represent the lifespan. Those data will also be made available at http://www.humanconnectome.org/.
While the HCP project has provided an excellent start at providing connectivity data for a community sample of normal subjects, the purpose of this announcement is to expand the HCP data to disease/disorder cohorts of interest to the Institutes and Centers that are participating in this FOA. Applicants should review recent Notices related to Study Design (NOT-MH-14-004 and NOT-NS-11-023).
Research Studies and Objectives
The bulk of the data collection in the HCP has been by the group at Washington University. By September 2015, they will have collected data on 1200 healthy young adults (ages 22-35), with release of the final subjects shortly thereafter. Most of these adults are monozygotic or dizygotic twins or their family members. The data collected includes non-invasive imaging, behavioral assessments, and genotyping assays. It is expected that data collected under this FOA will be compatible with the existing HCP dataset.
The Institutes and Centers that are participating in this FOA have different priority/disease areas of interest.
For NIMH, research cohorts should come from either a broad category such as those with psychiatric based psychosis, mood and anxiety disorders, or depression. Subject groups can also be based on RDoC categories or based on a specific genetic profile. Applicants must avoid cohorts from a narrowly defined DSM diagnostic group.
The NEI is interested in research in populations where the visual pathways may be compromised due to congenital or acquired disease, or injury (e.g. blindness, strabismus, amblyopia, and low vision). Cohorts of patients with visual disorders should be compared with normal age-matched controls. Studies of plasticity in the visual pathways associated with the loss or restoration of vision are of particular interest.
For NIA, research cohorts should be comprised of individuals with neurodegenerative diseases associated with aging such as Alzheimer’s disease (preclinical, early- and late-onset), other dementias of aging, and/or age-related cognitive disorders such as Mild Cognitive Impairment (early, mild and late MCI). Also of interest are cohorts with age-related hearing loss, sleep disorders, or delirium. Normal, healthy cohorts will be critical as age-appropriate controls for connectome studies. Disease/disorder and control cohorts should be well defined and characterized by clinical, biomarker, genetic, and/or behavioral data.
For NIAAA, the research cohorts to be studied must be explicitly defined by the applicant in terms of alcohol use patterns currently and in the past, presence of comorbid conditions, and other factors such as a specific genetic profile. The information to be acquired must clearly relate to the mission of NIAAA to understand the effects of alcohol use and abuse on brain and behavior.
For NIDA, research cohorts should be comprised of users or abusers of licit or illicit psychotropic drugs, either currently or in the past. Cohorts can also be composed of subjects who have known risk factors for future substance use or relapse. These subjects should be carefully characterized for quantification of historical and current patterns of use of alcohol and multiple substances (including toxicological evidence when possible), and, when appropriate, by DSM diagnoses of substance abuse or dependence as evidence for clinically-significant use. Because circuit-level abnormalities in abusing populations may co-occur with mental disorders, proposals featuring additional population (s) of other mental illness diagnosis or RDoC categories without substance use as comparison or control groups will be considered.
The NINDS is interested in a broad range of disorders affecting the brain and nervous system (http://www.ninds.nih.gov/about_ninds/ninds_overview.htm), and has a strong interest in the development of imaging connectomes as biomarkers. For the NINDS, applications will be expected to 1) use HCP image acquisition protocols; 2) focus on connectomes that have been shown to be reliable and reproducible; and 3) select well-defined patient populations with clearly delineated phenotypes (e.g., defined by genetics, characteristic structural deficits, or unique pathophysiology). Applicants may focus on neurological populations that are at-risk, prodromal, or affected. Interested investigators are encouraged to contact program staff listed below to ensure that their application is consistent with the NINDS mission and appropropriate for this FOA.
The full announcement can be found at the NIH Guide.
Agency: NIH
Funding Opportunity Number: PAR-14-281
Title: Connectomes Related to Human Disease (U01)
Deadline: November 14, 2014; July 14, 2015; July 14, 2016
Summary:
Background:
There has long been an interest in understanding the connectional organization of the human brain, though interest in connectivity has recently increased, as the tools to obtain such data have emerged and as other lines of inquiry have made clear the importance of such data. Prior to the Human Connectome Project (HCP), little neural connectivity data from humans was available.
Continuing to fill this knowledge gap is paramount because connectivity is a major organizing principle of the nervous system and is fundamental to understanding brain function and dysfunction. Attempts to understand neural connectivity in model organisms are helping to develop an integrated understanding of the interplay of genes, molecules, cells, neural systems, and behavior. Such understanding, in turn, provides the basis for detailed models from which hypotheses about brain function in health and illness can be generated. Without connectivity data, this kind of understanding is not possible for human brain function and dysfunction. Knowledge of human brain connectivity will transform human neuroscience by providing not only a qualitatively novel class of data, but also by providing the basic framework necessary to synthesize diverse data and, ultimately, elucidate how our brains work in health, illness, youth, and old age.
It is important to link connectivity data to architectonic features rather than merely to coordinates, or locations of sulci and gyri. The surface geometry of the human brain is extremely variable and idiosyncratic, and the relationship of surface features to functional subdivisions and their differential connectivity is imprecise. Classical neuroanatomy shows strong correlations between connectivity patterns and features such as cytoarchitecture and the differential distribution of molecular tags (including enzymes, neurotransmitters, transmitter receptors, expressed genes, etc.). For this reason, connectional studies in model organisms routinely relate connectional data to such architectonic data. While architectonic features have been mapped extensively in the human brain, the relationship of projections and connections to these features has heretofore not been demonstrated, because human connectivity data were absent. Linking such architectural features to the distribution of specific connections is providing a critical “anchor” that will permit connectional data to be related to a variety of other types of data, broadening and enhancing their utility.
Connectivity, in the context of brain architecture, has long figured in understanding, diagnosing, and treating certain neurological disorders. Increasingly, disrupted or aberrant connectivity is being implicated or suspected in the etiology of disorders not previously considered from this perspective. For example, it is very likely that quantifiable changes in connectivity accompany the variations in cortical thickness (as demonstrated with structural magnetic resonance imaging) that are seen in diseased brains (e.g., Alzheimer) relative to healthy brains, and that are seen in brains through the course of early development, through adolescence and senescence. Similarly, it is likely that qualitative or quantitative changes in connectivity contribute to morphometric differences observed in brains of those with particular disorders, such as schizophrenia.
The overall purpose of the HCP has been to develop and share knowledge about the structural and functional connectivity of the human brain. This purpose has been achieved through awards to two different multi-institutional research teams centered at Washington University (http://www.humanconnectome.org/) and Massachusetts General Hospital (http://www.humanconnectomeproject.org/). These teams have developed and optimized non-invasive imaging technologies to acquire structural and functional in vivo data about axonal projections and neural connections from brains of hundreds of healthy adults. Demographic data and data regarding sensory, motor, cognitive, emotional, and social function have also been collected for each subject. Subjects have also donated DNA samples for genotyping and that data will be available before the awards end in September 2015. The data and experimental protocols have been made available to the research community, and both are now being widely used. Both research groups are now undertaking pilot studies to explore the issues with extending the HCP to children and to older adults to represent the lifespan. Those data will also be made available at http://www.humanconnectome.org/.
While the HCP project has provided an excellent start at providing connectivity data for a community sample of normal subjects, the purpose of this announcement is to expand the HCP data to disease/disorder cohorts of interest to the Institutes and Centers that are participating in this FOA. Applicants should review recent Notices related to Study Design (NOT-MH-14-004 and NOT-NS-11-023).
Research Studies and Objectives
The bulk of the data collection in the HCP has been by the group at Washington University. By September 2015, they will have collected data on 1200 healthy young adults (ages 22-35), with release of the final subjects shortly thereafter. Most of these adults are monozygotic or dizygotic twins or their family members. The data collected includes non-invasive imaging, behavioral assessments, and genotyping assays. It is expected that data collected under this FOA will be compatible with the existing HCP dataset.
The Institutes and Centers that are participating in this FOA have different priority/disease areas of interest.
For NIMH, research cohorts should come from either a broad category such as those with psychiatric based psychosis, mood and anxiety disorders, or depression. Subject groups can also be based on RDoC categories or based on a specific genetic profile. Applicants must avoid cohorts from a narrowly defined DSM diagnostic group.
The NEI is interested in research in populations where the visual pathways may be compromised due to congenital or acquired disease, or injury (e.g. blindness, strabismus, amblyopia, and low vision). Cohorts of patients with visual disorders should be compared with normal age-matched controls. Studies of plasticity in the visual pathways associated with the loss or restoration of vision are of particular interest.
For NIA, research cohorts should be comprised of individuals with neurodegenerative diseases associated with aging such as Alzheimer’s disease (preclinical, early- and late-onset), other dementias of aging, and/or age-related cognitive disorders such as Mild Cognitive Impairment (early, mild and late MCI). Also of interest are cohorts with age-related hearing loss, sleep disorders, or delirium. Normal, healthy cohorts will be critical as age-appropriate controls for connectome studies. Disease/disorder and control cohorts should be well defined and characterized by clinical, biomarker, genetic, and/or behavioral data.
For NIAAA, the research cohorts to be studied must be explicitly defined by the applicant in terms of alcohol use patterns currently and in the past, presence of comorbid conditions, and other factors such as a specific genetic profile. The information to be acquired must clearly relate to the mission of NIAAA to understand the effects of alcohol use and abuse on brain and behavior.
For NIDA, research cohorts should be comprised of users or abusers of licit or illicit psychotropic drugs, either currently or in the past. Cohorts can also be composed of subjects who have known risk factors for future substance use or relapse. These subjects should be carefully characterized for quantification of historical and current patterns of use of alcohol and multiple substances (including toxicological evidence when possible), and, when appropriate, by DSM diagnoses of substance abuse or dependence as evidence for clinically-significant use. Because circuit-level abnormalities in abusing populations may co-occur with mental disorders, proposals featuring additional population (s) of other mental illness diagnosis or RDoC categories without substance use as comparison or control groups will be considered.
The NINDS is interested in a broad range of disorders affecting the brain and nervous system (http://www.ninds.nih.gov/about_ninds/ninds_overview.htm), and has a strong interest in the development of imaging connectomes as biomarkers. For the NINDS, applications will be expected to 1) use HCP image acquisition protocols; 2) focus on connectomes that have been shown to be reliable and reproducible; and 3) select well-defined patient populations with clearly delineated phenotypes (e.g., defined by genetics, characteristic structural deficits, or unique pathophysiology). Applicants may focus on neurological populations that are at-risk, prodromal, or affected. Interested investigators are encouraged to contact program staff listed below to ensure that their application is consistent with the NINDS mission and appropropriate for this FOA.
The full announcement can be found at the NIH Guide.
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