The Neural Exposome

ONETOX | Neural Exposome and Toxicology Programs

It is widely acknowledged that most diseases and disorders cannot be attributed to genetic factors alone. Coined by Chris Paul Wild in 2005 (Wild, C.P. 2005 Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 14(8):1847-50), the term “exposome” describes the totality of internal and external exposures across the lifespan that affect human health. The “Neural Exposome” are those exposures that have an impact on neurological disease and disorders, and overall nervous system health. The exposures described in the exposome not only include environmental chemical and biological toxins, but also psychosocial factors and internal factors such as diet and the microbiome, and these exposures may occur anytime from in utero to late in life. A better understanding of how these exposomic factors interact with genes will lead to identifying more precise and effective intervention strategies, especially because many of the exposures are potentially modifiable.

Neural exposome figure displaying exogenous, endogenous, and behavioral factors exposures that have an impact on neurological disease and disorders, and overall nervous system health — Infographic displaying the three exposomic factors in large circles - Exogenous, Endogenous, and Behavioral - that have an impact on neurological disease and disorders, and overall nervous system health which is depicted by a brain graphic placed in the center of the three circles. Exogenous factors include environmental toxicants, light and noise, climate, ecosystems, and economics/eduction. Endogenous factors include genes/epigenetics, pre-existing conditions, metabolism, microbiome, and xenobiotics. Behavioral factors include psychological effects, drugs/alcohol/tobacco, lifestyle, sleep, and stress.

The overall goal of ONETOX is to enhance basic, translational, and clinical NIH research on the effect of the neural exposome on nervous system diseases and disorders by fostering more collaborative research within the neuroscience research community. ONETOX provides information and tools to help break down barriers to research between different scientific disciplines which can be used to establish productive team science for targeted funding opportunities. Because of the large number and different kinds of exposures within the Neural Exposome that occur across the lifespan, ONETOX collaborates with many different Institutes and Centers across the NIH to obtain a full understanding of how these exposomic factors affect brain and nervous system health.

Tamiz AP, Koroshetz WJ, Dhruv NT, Jett DA (2022)
A focus on the neural exposome.
Neuron, 110:1286-1289. PubMed ID: 35349785

Neural Exposome Virtual Mini-Workshop:

The Right Tools and Resources for Neural Exposome Research

April 19, 2024 | 1:00 pm ET

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Office of Neural Exposome and Toxicology (ONETOX) supports research that advance our understanding of the multiple causes of neurological illness and will enable the development of more effective interventions. Many neurological disorders have complex etiologies that include noninheritable factors, collectively called the neural exposome. Studying the neural exposome requires the establishment and utilization of tools and resources that enable discovery research towards precision medicine and prevention. The development of quantitative measures of exposures and biomarkers, complex combinations of individual risk factors, multifactor databases, biospecimens and repositories, and other tools are key for advancing exposomic studies of neurological disorders and better health.

This mini workshop invites you to learn about what exposome tools and resources are currently available and to discuss what is additionally needed to understand the role of the exposome on nervous system health and disease.

Investigators interested in learning more are encouraged to register.

Neural Exposome Virtual Mini-Workshop:

Team Science to Advance Neural Exposome Research

February 29, 2024 | 1:00 pm EST

Research into the neural exposome space will often bridge multiple scientific disciplines, including neurobiology, environmental health science, social determinants of health and health inequities, epidemiology, geospatial modeling, and data science, among others. Several recent National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) workshops (Environmental Neuroscience: Advancing the Understanding of How Chemical Exposures Impact Brain Health and Disease, The Interplay between Environmental Exposures and Mental Health Outcomes, and Integrating the Science of Aging and Environmental Health Research), highlighted the importance of fostering interdisciplinary Team Research to harness the collective efforts of neuroscientists and the environmental health sciences community.

This mini-workshop explores best practices in building diverse teams to support multidisciplinary and multi-faceted research on the neural exposome.

Investigators interested in learning more are encouraged to register.

OPEN Stage Webinar:

The Neural Exposome - HOW NINDS is Supporting exposomic Research

October 23, 2023 | 1:00 pm EDT

This webinar will describe a new area of research on the Neural Exposome at NINDS. The neural exposome refers to the non-heritable factors affecting the nervous system including environmental/chemical exposures, the microbiome, and socio-behavioral stress. We will spotlight Erica Glasper, PhD, an NINDS funded investigator, who will provide a summary of her exciting research.

Investigators looking to form collaborative interdisciplinary research projects, trainees and early career faculty are strongly encouraged to review the slides and webinar recording.

Resources and Tools

Contacts

David A. Jett, Ph.D. | Director, ONETOX
jettd@ninds.nih.gov

Neel Dhruv, Ph.D. | Health Program Specialist
neel.dhruv@nih.gov

Amir Tamiz, Ph.D. | Director, Division of Translational Research
amir.tamiz@nih.gov

Funding Opportunities

Neural Exposome Funding Opportunities

Neural Exposome Notices and Other Funding Announcements

News & Events

Tamiz AP, Koroshetz WJ, Dhruv NT, Jett DA. 2022. A focus on the neural exposome. Neuron. PMID: 35349785.

Virtual Mini Workshop: The Right Tools and Resources for Neural Exposome Research
April 19, 2024 | 1PM ET

Virtual Mini Workshop: Team Science to Advance Neural Exposome Research
February 29, 2024 | 1PM EST

OPEN Stage Webinar: The Neural Exposome - How NINDS is Supporting Exposomic Research
October 23, 2023 | 1PM EDT

Neuroscience 2022: The Neural Exposome and Why it's Important to You! | November 15, 2022; 6:30 pm PST

Related Topics

Databases:
Comparative Toxicogenomic Database (CTD)
The Comparative Toxicogenomic Database (CTD) launched in 2004 is a well-known publicly available resource for curated data on the linkage between human exposures and how they influence genes, biology, and human health.

NeurotoxKB
NeurotoxKB provides information on potential neurotoxicants that is compiled and manually curated along with supporting evidence from published scientific studies.

Environmental Neuroscience Reports:
The National Academies of Sciences Engineering Medicine Environmental Neuroscience: Advancing the Understanding of How Chemical Exposures Impact Brain Health and Disease: Proceedings of a Workshop

Integrating the Science of Aging and Environmental Health Research: Proceedings of a Workshop