The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is the lead agency for basic and clinical research focused on the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves; their development, degeneration, and regeneration; and their disorders and diseases. The NINDS has scientific interests in neurological disorders as diverse as stroke, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, head and spinal cord injuries, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, Parkinson’s disease, neurofibromatosis, muscular dystrophy, neuroAIDS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Huntington disease. Many neurological and neuromuscular disorders are chronic disorders, characterized by progressive decline in cognitive, sensory, or motor function over a long period, resulting in disability, suffering and long-term care at tremendous cost to the patient, family, and society.