This initiative will support (1) observational research to understand the role of structural racism and discrimination (SRD) in causing and sustaining health disparities, and (2) intervention research that addresses SRD in order to improve minority health or reduce health disparities.

SuRE is a research capacity building program designed to develop and sustain research excellence in U.S. higher education institutions that receive limited NIH research support and serve students from groups underrepresented in biomedical research (see NOT-OD-20-031) with an emphasis on providing students with research opportunities and enriching the research environments at the applicant institutions. The purpose of SuRE-First awards is to support research grants for faculty investigators at eligible institutions who have not had prior independent external research grants.

Between 40 and 70% of older adults suffer from sleep disturbances or disorders, which are especially prevalent among patients with Alzheimer's Disease and Alzheimers Disease Related Dementias (AD/ADRD), i.e., frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body dementia, vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia, and multiple etiology dementias. The AD Research Summits specifically recommends to invest in understanding the integrative physiology of sleep and elucidating the short- and long-term consequences of disrupted and optimized sleep on brain aging and AD. Moreover, NIAs AD/ADRD Research Implementation Milestone 2.F plans to "create new research programs aimed at understanding the integrative physiology of circadian rhythms and sleep and its impact on brain aging and the risk of AD and AD-related dementias at multiple levels (epigenetic, gene expression, proteomic, neuronal, network, systems) to identify new targets and approaches for AD prevention." The purpose of this one-year administrative supplement program is to facilitate collaborative research to better understand the bi-directional relationship between chronic sleep disturbances/circadian disruption and AD/ADRD pathogenesis. This notice encourages eligible NINDS awardees in the AD/ADRD research community to apply for supplemental funds to establish new collaborations with sleep/circadian researchers for the advancement of research on the association between sleep disturbances/circadian disruption with ADRD. This initiative aims to investigate the potential of sleep/circadian-related treatment as a modifier of the development and progression of neurodegeneration. The proposed studies must be within the scope of the peer-reviewed activities specified within the NINDS parent award, and collaborators may not have a prior history of collaboration. Active awards with project end dates in FY 2022 or later are eligible. The award may not be entering or in a terminal no-cost extension in FY 2021.

NINDS is interested in supplementing applications to conduct research on the effects of COVID-19 on the development of, or disease progression in, AD/ADRD. For example, anosmia is a risk factor for developing LBD and AD dementiaand anosmia is a common sequelae of COVID-19 infection, but it is unclear whether COVID-19 infected individuals with anosmia are also at greater risk for developing cognitive impairment and dementia. Similarly, although subjects with AD/ADRD are likely to worsen cognitively during COVID-19 infection, research is lacking as to whether they return to baseline after recovery from infection or whether there is accelerated progression of cognitive decline. Applicants requesting supplements to active NINDS-funded human subjects projects that will address these research questions, for example bytesting for COVID-19, anosmia, cognitive assessments, and biomarker assessments (neuroimaging, fluid-based), are encouraged under this opportunity.