Neurodegenerative Diseases
Program Leads
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Kimberly Ann Gray, Ph.D. (http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/dert/sphb/staff/gray/index.cfm)
Health Scientist Administrator -
P.O. Box 12233
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709
Tel (919) 541-0293
Fax (919) 316-4606
gray6@niehs.nih.gov
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Annette Kirshner, Ph.D. (http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/dert/cospb/staff/kirsher/index.cfm)
Program Administrator -
P.O. Box 12233
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709 Tel (919) 541-0488
Fax (919) 541-0462
kirshner@niehs.nih.gov
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Cindy Lawler, Ph.D. (http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/dert/cospb/staff/lawler/index.cfm)
Acting Branch Chief -
Neuroscience
Division of Extramural Research and Training
P.O. Box 12233
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709
Tel (919) 316-4671
Fax (919) 541-0462
lawler@niehs.nih.gov
Program Description
Neurodegeneration, a process in which nerve cells in the brain or peripheral nervous system gradually lose function and ultimately die, afflicts millions of people worldwide. The risk of being affected by a neurodegenerative disease increases dramatically with age. Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease are the most frequent types of neurodegenerative disease. The overall improvements in health that have increased lifespan, together with generational changes in birthrates (i.e., baby boom) means that many more individuals will be affected by neurodegenerative diseases in the coming decades. Although treatments may help relieve some of the physical or mental symptoms, there is currently no cure or way to stop or even slow disease progression.
The long-term consequences of neurodegenerative diseases are devastating to individuals and their families as affected individuals gradually lose their ability to live independently and require increasing levels of services and support. The rising numbers of individuals affected by neurodegenerative diseases creates a critical need to improve our understanding of the causes and help create new approaches for treatment and prevention.
Scientists now recognize that most neurodegenerative diseases are caused by a combination of genes and environment. That is, a person might be genetically predisposed to a certain neurodegenerative disease, but whether, when, and how severely the person is affected depends on what environmental factors he or she is exposed to during life. Most neurodegenerative diseases have a very long period where neurons are slowly losing function, but compensatory mechanisms are in place that prevent obvious clinical signs of disease. Recent studies in other disease areas suggest that exposures occurring in the very earliest stages of development may affect risk for disease decades later. One of the key challenges for researchers is how to identify and measure exposures that may have occurred many years before an individual is diagnosed.
What NIEHS is doing
NIEHS funds nearly 150 research projects that look at how exposure to pesticides, pollution, and other contaminants, alone and in combination with specific genes, affects neurodegeneration. The neurodegeneration research supported by NIEHS is carried out by individually-funded scientists and by researchers working together at Centers for Neurodegeneration Science across the country. NIEHS also provides support for career development programs to support talented neurodegeneration researchers and cultivate the next generation of leaders in the field.
Grant recipients in this area study the following diseases:
- Parkinson’s disease
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Huntington’s disease
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
- Motor neuron disease
- Schizophrenia
Grant recipients in this area study the following types of environmental factors:
- Pesticides, fungicides, and insecticides
- Metals (for example, arsenic, lead, manganese)
- Chemicals used in industry or consumer products (for example, polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs)
- Air pollution
- Dietary and lifestyle factors (for example, caffeine, tobacco smoke, dietary antioxidants)
- Biological factors (for example, endotoxins produced by bacteria)
