Essential Neuroscience
Gianira Jardin
As burgeoning research advances the field of neuroscience, instructors face the formidable challenge of imparting this ever-increasing and heterogenous body of information to students. Essential Neuroscience, Second Edition is the coherent, balanced solution.
Rated outstanding with highest 5-star ranking in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
This highly acclaimed second edition covers fundamental neuroscience topics, integrating essential information with clinical and physiological considerations, providing students with multiple opportunities for review and self-testing, and presenting the latest relevant developments in neuroscience.
Proven building-block approach preferred by faculty and students alike.
Beginning with the building block of neuroscience, the neuron, the text unfolds the story of human brain function. From analysis of a single neuron, the authors enlarge the discussion to neuronal communication; guide us through the essentials of spinal cord and brain anatomy; detail the sensory, motor, and integrative systems; and finally illustrate the most complex functions and dysfunctions of the nervous system. This stepwise, basic-to-complex approach is the synthesis of 30 years of teaching experience and improves student performance on exams.
The goal of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to stimulate research addressing fundamental questions in basic neuroscience. Proposed projects can address any area of neuroscience within the missions of the participating institutes and should focus on understanding the development, the structure and/or the function of the normal nervous system. While fundamental basic research often generates insights relevant to disorders of the nervous system, this FOA is not intended to stimulate research that is explicitly disease-related.
It is critical that applicants follow the Research (R) Instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Section II. Award Information
Section III. Eligibility Information
Section IV. Application and Submission Information
Section V. Application Review Information
Section VI. Award Administration Information
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Section VIII. Other Information
Basic research is the engine of discovery - it generates new knowledge, drives innovation, and underlies many therapeutic breakthroughs. A more complete understanding of the development, the structure, and the function of the normal nervous system will benefit the entire neuroscience community.
The mission of NINDS is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease. NINDS supports research projects that range from basic studies of the nervous system to Phase III clinical trials. Several years ago, NINDS embarked on an institute-wide planning process to analyze its investments in basic, translational, and clinical research and generated a strategic plan (see Overview of NINDS Strategic Plan). The implementation of this plan is an ongoing process, with the goal of optimizing all research areas within the NINDS mission.
As part of the implementation of its strategic plan, NINDS analyzed how extramural funding has been distributed across the spectrum of basic and applied research over the last two decades. To perform this analysis, NINDS developed simple definitions of basic and applied research that could be applied as unambiguously and reproducibly as possible. Each of these categories was further subdivided into two subcategories basic/basic, basic/disease-focused, applied/translational, and applied/clinical. For this analysis, basic/basic research was defined as studies aimed at understanding the development, structure and function of the normal nervous system whether performed in vitro, in animals, or in humans. Further description of these definitions and details about this analysis can be found on the NINDS website (Back to Basics ). For the purpose of this FOA, basic/basic research will subsequently be referred to as "fundamental basic" research.
One of the most striking trends identified in this NINDS analysis was the steady decline in the funding of fundamental basic research. From 1997 to 2012, funding for this category decreased from 52% to 27% of the NINDS competing budget. Further analysis suggested that the major driver of this decrease has been the reduction in the number of fundamental basic research applications submitted by extramural investigators. NINDS interactions with the extramural community suggest that many investigators interested in fundamental basic research are reluctant to submit grant applications, due to a perceived lack of NIH interest in such research or out of concern that their applications might not fare as well in peer review as applications describing disease-related projects. Not only is basic research critical to the mission of many NIH Institutes and Centers, but NINDS preliminary data suggest that fundamental basic applications actually have a slightly higher chance of being funded than applications in any of the other three categories.
During the last three years, NINDS issued PAS 15-029 which provided set-aside funds for fundamental research projects that scored just outside of the pay line. These funds were able to provide additional support for a number of diverse and important research projects. These studies utilized a variety of model systems from sea squirts to non-human primates to study fundamental questions about CNS development, connectivity, and homeostasis regulation. The success of this program has prompted NINDS to reissue the award for an additional three years. In contrast to NIH FOAs focused on specific disease areas, this initiative is aimed exclusively at stimulating fundamental basic neuroscience research. Proposed projects submitted through this FOA can be in any area of basic neuroscience that is within the NINDS mission.
For grants within the NINDS mission, the following guidelines apply: (1) projects intended to understand the mechanisms of, or develop treatments for, neurological disease are outside the scope of this FOA; (2) projects that propose any disease-based or applied experiments within a primarily basic grant are also not appropriate; (3) applications aimed primarily at developing tools and resources for basic neuroscience research are of secondary interest; and (4) applications on topics that have traditionally been assigned to other NIH Institutes not participating in this FOA are not appropriate. Furthermore, since some basic neuroscience applications may be more suitable for the FOAs developed through the BRAIN Initiative, investigators are encouraged to carefully examine opportunities within that program (see BRAIN ). Applicants with questions about the NINDS mission and the goals of the BRAIN Initiative are strongly encouraged to contact NINDS Scientific/Research staff to determine if their anticipated applications are appropriate for this FOA. Finally, the NINDS believes that all research applications can be greatly strengthened if the design, execution, and interpretation of the proposed studies and supporting data are adequately described (for details see NINDS rigor).
Applications go through standard review processes at normal study sections. Applications that receive scores within the funding plans of the participating institutes will be paid according to their normal funding policies. NINDS will consider paying meritorious applications that score beyond their typical pay lines. Applicants with questions about either the relevance of their proposed projects to a NINDS's mission or the scope of this FOA are strongly encouraged to contact the appropriate program staff before submitting their applications.
A greater understanding of the development, the structure, and the function of the normal nervous system is critical and ultimately of great public health relevance. This FOA is one of the steps the participating institutes are taking to ensure the continued support of investigator-initiated fundamental basic research.
Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the following registrations as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. All registrations must be completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6 weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as possible. The NIH Policy on Late Submission of Grant Applications states that failure to complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a late submission.
All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account. PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant organization in eRA Commons. If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role. Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.
Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with his/her organization to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH support.
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