Welcome to the NINDS Intramural Clinical Neurosciences Program (CNP). The mission of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease. The CNP supports the mission by integrating clinical and basic neuroscience research to help translate scientific discoveries into new approaches for diagnosing, treating, and preventing neurological disease and disorders.
The below list provides information about the research clinics teams at the NINDS CNP. We are located at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD, the nation’s largest hospital devoted entirely to clinical research. You will also find links describing clinical studies that are currently ongoing in a variety of neurological disorders, supported through our clinics and research programs. We welcome you to contact our coordinators for more information and to determine if you might be eligible for one of our research studies.
Additional information when planning to visit the NINDS or participating in research at the NIH Clinical Center:
- NIH Clinical Center-patient information
- Visiting the NIH
- Quick reference Patient Information Sheet(pdf, 1002 KB)
- Patient Portal
- Clinical Trial Participation
- The NIHCC Take Me There(pdf, 290 KB), directional app for navigating the Clinical Center.
- Take a Virtual Tour!
Epilepsy Research Clinic
The Epilepsy Research Clinic offers comprehensive inpatient and outpatient diagnostic testing services for epilepsy, either to confirm the diagnosis of epilepsy or to localize where seizures are coming from in the brain. This research program specializes in intractable seizures. This comprehensive evaluation includes a history and physical examination by one of our epilepsy specialists, and may include routine and/or long term video-EEG monitoring, advanced imaging with structural and functional MRI, Positron Emission Tomography (PET), and Magnetoencephalography (MEG), as well as neuropsychological testing. Intervention studies include surgical management of epilepsy.
Contact:
Aaliyah H. Thiam, MS
Phone: 301-435-2952
Email: Epilepsy Research Clinic epilepsy@nih.gov or Aaliyah H. Thiam, MS
Encephalitis Research Clinic
This program specializes in the evaluation of patients with complex undiagnosed encephalitis or neuroinflammatory disorders. This also includes viral encephalitis and neurological manifestations of HIV infection. Patients undergo very detailed and comprehensive evaluation by a team of experts. Testing is tailored to the conditions affecting the patient, but may include brain imaging, blood and spinal fluid studies, electrophysiological evaluation, genetic and metagenomic tests, a variety of immune studies, and other research studies.
Protocols and Contacts
Thinking and Memory Problems in People With HIV
Contact:
Amanda Wiebold, RN
Phone: 301-538-9531
Email: NINDS Infections or Amanda Wiebold
Inflammatory and Infectious Diseases of the Nervous System
Contact:
Ladifatou Fouanta, RN
Phone: 301-529-6340
Email: NINDS Infections or Ladifatou Fouanta
Long-COVID Research Clinic
This program studies patients who have persistent neurological symptoms after recovering from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients undergo extensive inpatient evaluation to characterize the syndrome, to determine if there is any other explanation of their symptoms and if there maybe remnants of the virus still present in the body. Select patients are enrolled in an intervention studies to treat the underlying conditions.
Protocols and Contacts
Cross-Sectional Evaluation of Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 Remnants After Recovery From Acute Infection
Natural History of Post-Coronavirus Disease 19 Convalescence at the National Institutes of Health
Contact:
Angelique Gavin
Phone: 301-402-0880
Email: NINDS Post Covid 19 or Angelique Gavin
Immunotherapy for Neurological Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2
Contact:
Ladifatou Fouanta, RN
Phone: 301-529-6340
Email: NINDS Infections or Ladifatou Fouanta
Movement Disorders Clinic
The Movement Disorders Research Clinic pursues studies with an overall focus and goal of understanding Parkinson’s Disease and other movement disorders with a particular focus on genetic causes of these diseases. Our natural history study is the primary study through which we screen patients with movement disorders to enroll in additional research protocols in the Movement Disorders Program. Participants with Parkinson’s disease or those with a family history of other movement disorders such as dystonia or ataxia may be enrolled in the phenotype/genotype correlations in movement disorders protocol. Intervention studies include deep brain stimulation.
Contact:
Cecile Shindell
Phone: 301-496-0009
Email: Cecile Shindell
Protocols
Phenotype/Genotype Correlations in Movement Disorders
Natural History Protocol for Movement Disorders
Deep Brain Stimulation Therapy in Movement Disorders
Botulinum Toxin for the Treatment of Involuntary Movement Disorders
Neurodegenerative Disorders Research Clinic
The Neurodegenerative Disorders Research Clinic seeks patients with neurodegenerative disorders such as ALS, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias to better understand the clinical spectrum of these diseases and their underlying causes. Patients will be assessed for eligibility for current or future clinical studies of these disorders which includes a number of treatment studies.
Contact:
Carol Hoffman
Phone: 301-451-1229
Email: Carol Hoffman
Protocols:
ARTFL LEFFTDS Longitudinal Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (ALLFTD)
Acamprosate in C9orf72 Hexanucleotide Repeat Expansion Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ACALS)
Neurogenetics Research Clinic
The Neurogenetics Research Clinic is founded on the belief that understanding the mechanism and causes of disease can lead to effective treatment. Our Neurogenetics Clinic evaluates individuals and their family members who have a known or suspected inherited/familial neurological disorder.
Contact:
Alice B. Schindler
Phone: 301-496-8969
Email: Alice B. Schindler
Protocol: Study of Inherited Neurological Disorders
Neuroimmunology Research Clinic
The Neuroimmunology Clinic evaluates and treats patients with immune-mediated diseases of the central nervous system in the context of clinical research. The primary focus is on multiple sclerosis and HAM/TSP (HTLV-I associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis). The Clinic supports protocols focused on understanding the underlying mechanisms in these diseases through both natural history studies and clinical trials with new therapies. Patients undergo a comprehensive evaluation, including clinical, laboratory, and imaging studies.
Contacts:
Dr. Maria Gaitan for multiple sclerosis and HAM/TSP
Dr. Yair Mina (for PML)
Phone: 301-496-3825
Protocols:
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
89-N-0045: Evaluation of Progression in Multiple Sclerosis by Magnetic Resonance Imaging
16-N-0055: The pathological basis of MRI signal changes in multiple sclerosis: A longitudinal in vivo-to-postmortem study
19-N-0081: A Traveling Subject Study of Replicability in Conventional and Advanced MRI MS Biomarkers
16-N-0114: The effect of corticosteroids on inflammation at the edge of acute multiple sclerosis plaques: An investigator-blinded study
19-N-0124: Anakinra for the treatment of chronically inflamed white matter lesions in multiple sclerosis
21-N-0010: Tolebrutinib, a Brain-penetrant Bruton s Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor, for the Modulation of Chronically Inflamed White Matter Lesions in Multiple Sclerosis
HTLV-1 Associated Myelopathy/Tropical Spastic Paraparesis (HAM/TSP)
98-N-0047: Immuno-Virological Evaluation of Human T Cell Lymphotropic Virus Infection and Associated Neurological Diseases
21-N-0016: Teriflunomide in HTLV-1 Associated Myelopathy/Tropical Spastic Paraparesis
Progressive Multifocal Leukencephalopathy Research Clinic
The progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) clinic evaluates and treats patients with JC virus infection of the central nervous system. Patients are seen under a natural history study as well as specific treatment trials. Patients undergo a comprehensive evaluation, including clinical, laboratory, and imaging studies to guide clinical management and improve our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of this disease.
Protocols:
13-N-0017: Natural History Study of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (NCT01730131)
000126: NT-I7: A long-acting recombinant IL-7 molecule, as an immune reconstitution strategy for lymphopenia in patients with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (NCT04781309)
001878: Expanded Access of Adoptive Cellular Immunotherapy for Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy with Ex Vivo Generated JCV-Specific T-cells
Contact:
Mauricio Campillay
Phone: 301-503-3273 and/or
Dr. Yair Mina (for PML)
Neurorehabilitation Clinic
Neurorehabilitation is the medical process that aims to aid recovery of function from a central nervous system lesion or injury, thus improving resulting functional deficits. The main areas of interest in our investigations involve motor and cognitive deficits resulting from stroke and traumatic brain injury.
Contact:
Patient Recruitment and Public Liaison
Phone: Office toll-free at: 1-800-411-1222 /TTY: 1-866-411-1010
Neurosurgery Research Clinics
The Neurosurgery Clinic provides neurosurgery outpatient care to research participants in the Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health. Patients who require neurosurgical operations are usually seen first in the Neurosurgery Clinic before being admitted later to the Clinical Center as inpatients. After surgery, follow-up care is again provided in the Neurosurgery Clinic. This program has a particular emphasis on brain tumors, pituitary tumors, surgical treatment of epilepsy, deep brain stimulation, syringomyelia, vascular malformations, neurofibromatosis, chiari malformation, Von Hipple Lindau disease and a number of other conditions that require surgical intervention.
Contact:
Phone: 301-496-2921
Email: SNB Recruiting
Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are pursuing studies with an overall focus and goal of understanding the natural history of traumatic brain injuries. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is used to better identify, classify, and treat TBI early after injury. Our natural history studies currently enroll and are performed at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC; Suburban Hospital and National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, both located in Bethesda, Maryland.
Contact:
Anita Moses
Phone: 301-443-9092
Email: Anita Moses
VA-NIH PROJECT IN-DEPTH
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are working on a pioneering collaborative research project, the VA-NIH Investigative Deep Phenotyping (IN-DEPTH) of Gulf War Veterans Health. The NIH IN-DEPTH study is focused on making scientific measurements of the Gulf War veterans identified during VA IN-DEPTH. The goal of the NIH IN-DEPTH research study is to thoroughly describe the clinical and biological characteristics of GWI.
Contact the NIH IN-DEPTH Team