The Cell Death in Neurodegeneration [CDIN] Study Section addresses the genetic, molecular, and cellular basis of chronic neural disorders across the life span. This includes studies of neuronal cell death and protein and macromolecular function in neurodegenerative disease. Relevant disorders include neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s disease, and ALS, spinal cord injury, dystonia/ataxia, and neuropathies. This Study Section mainly reviews studies of animal models.  To a lesser extent, the Study Section reviews patient-oriented research and in vitro systems.

Specific areas covered by CDIN:

• Pathology and clinical interventions; molecular, cellular, and neurochemical changes in human brain associated with neurodegeneration; analysis of autopsy material; experimental therapeutic approaches and clinical trials to prevent or treat neuropathological damage, including gene therapy and tissue and cell transplantation.
• Tissue culture and animal models of neurodegeneration or trauma; generation of relevant transgenic models; development of models to evaluate treatments to limit or prevent cell injury and death.
• Metabolic abnormalities in degeneration; neuron viability; oxidative and free radical metabolism; mitochondrial function; glial cell metabolism; secondary inflammation; interaction of genetics, environment, drugs, metabolites, and age on cell dysfunction and neuropathology.
• Abnormal protein and macromolecular metabolism and function; synthesis, assembly, processing, trafficking, structure/function, regulation, and degradation of proteins and other macromolecules implicated in neurodegenerative diseases.
• Mechanisms of cell degeneration; neurotoxicity and mechanisms of cell death in neurodegenerative diseases; the role of intracellular calcium, glutamate excitotoxicity, metals, oxidative stress and free radicals, amyloid and paired helical filaments.
• Genetic basis of neurodegeneration, including identification and expression of genes, genomic screening, and linkage analysis.

CDIN has the following shared interests within the BDCN IRG:

• With Clinical Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumors [CNBT]: CNBT and CDIN review studies of neuropathologcial processes related to inflammation.  Studies reviewed by CNBT have as their focus neural disorders and injury for which immune and inflammatory mechanisms are principal components.  CDIN may be more appropriate for studies where inflammation is secondary to pathophysiological processes underlying neurodegeneration. 
• With Clinical Neuroscience and Neurodegeneration [CNN]: Both CNN and CDIN review studies that deal with chronic neurodegeneration.  CNN reviews studies on the anatomical and functional basis of neurodegenerative disorders, while CDIN reviews studies of chronic neurodegeneration at the cellular and molecular level.
• With Brain Injury and Neurovascular Pathologies [BINP]: CDIN and BINP review studies which focus on the genetic, molecular, and cellular basis of neurodegeneration.  CDIN reviews studies that study chronic brain disorders in which neurodegeneration is a primary component of the pathological process, while BINP focuses on acute brain injury and disorders related to ischemic or hypoxic neuronal cell death, the blood brain barrier, and related vascular pathologies.
• With Developmental Brain Disorders [DBD]: DBD and CDIN review studies proposing studies of neurodegenerative processes.  DBD reviews neurodevelopmental disorders, including those that have a neurodegeneration component, especially when the focus is on unique aspects of the developing nervous system. CDIN reviews studies that deal with molecular and cellular processes associated with aspects of neurodegeneration that are common to children and adults.
• With Clinical Neuroplasticity and Neurotransmitters [CNNT]: CNNT reviews studies that focus primarily on abnormalities in specific neurotransmitter systems, neurotrophins, regeneration and stem cell or gene therapy for the replacement for specific neurotrophic or neurotransmitter systems, while CDIN reviews studies of the specific cell death mechanisms that are related to these same systems. 

 CDIN has the following shared interests outside the BDCN IRG:

• With the Biobehavioral and Behavioral Processes [BBBP] and the Risk, Prevention and Health Behavior [RPHB] IRGs: Studies with a primary focus on behavior and behavioral approaches, including outcomes, prevention and coping, could be reviewed in the BBBP or RPHB IRGs. Studies reviewed in CDIN may use these same behavioral methods as indices of neurological recovery and experimental models of neurodegenerative disorders, but the methods are not the focus of the studies reviewed in CDIN.
• With the Biology of Development and Aging [BDA] IRG: BDA and CDIN share interest in certain age-related neurological diseases, for example, Alzheimer’s disease.  Studies with a focus on multiple system manifestations of age-related neurological diseases could be reviewed within the BDA IRG, while cellular and molecular changes associated with these diseases could be reviewed in CDIN.
• With the Bioengineering Sciences and Technologies [BST] IRG: Studies that focus on the design, development, and introduction of technology for gene and drug delivery in the nervous system could be assigned to the BST IRG, while studies focused on the mechanisms and functional outcomes associated with that drug or gene delivery into the central nervous system for treatment of chronic neurodegenerative diseases may be assigned to CDIN.
• With the Cell Biology [CB] IRG: Studies focusing on basic cell processes including cell death or an emerging cell biology approach to explore cellular death processes may be assigned to the CB IRG, while studies on the cellular mechanism of neurodegenerative disorders may be assigned to CDIN.
• With the Genes, Genomes and Genetics [GGG] IRG: The GGG IRG has shared interests with CDIN with respect to an interest in neurodegenerative disorders. When the focus of the proposed studies is primarily on molecular genetic approaches, large-scale gene/genomic/genetic studies, gene discovery using complex or novel technologies, the application could be assigned to the GGG IRG. CDIN may be more appropriate for studies within the context of mechanisms and outcomes related to neurodegeneration.
• With the Health of the Population [HOP] IRG: HOP reviews studies dealing with descriptive and analytical epidemiologic aspects of a broad range of neurologic disorders, including those reviewed by CDIN.  However, CDIN reviews studies that focus primarily on basic cellular and molecular mechanisms of these disorders.
• With the Integrative, Functional and Cognitive Neuroscience [IFCN] IRG: The IFCN IRG generally reviews normal aspects of brain function, while the study sections within review research relating to abnormal and pathological states. Studies that focus primarily on neurodegenerative disorders are more appropriate within CDIN. For example, IFCN and CDIN share common interests in the motor system.  If the focus of a study is to elucidate specific neural substrates of motor function, then the application may be assigned to IFCN. Studies that focus primarily on the cellular and molecular pathophysiology of motor disorders related to neurodegeneration may be more appropriate for CDIN.
• With the Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Neuroscience [MDCN] IRG: The MDCN IRG reviews studies on the basic cellular and molecular mechanisms of diseases of the nervous system. For example, MDCN and CDIN have shared interests in the analysis of cloned gene products involved in cell death. If the context is basic neuroscience, then MDCN may be a more appropriate locus for review. If the primary focus is on neurodegenerative disorders and their pathophysiology, then CDIN may be more appropriate.

The Clinical Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumors [CNBT] Study Section addresses central and peripheral nervous system disorders, including neuromuscular disorders, and injury across the life span where the focus is on infections, immune or inflammatory mechanisms. The scope of investigations ranges from in vitro and animal models to human studies and patient-oriented research. Examples of relevant disorders include: multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, infectious diseases of the nervous system, spinal cord and brain injury, inflammatory neuropathies and myopathies, stroke, multi-infarct dementia, prion disease, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and nervous system tumors.

Specific areas covered by CNBT:

• Immunological processes involved in neural disease or injury; inflammatory neuropathies and autoimmune disorders; experimental models; immunological responses that affect neural function, including neuroimmune cross-reactivity; cytokine and chemokine production and action
• Infectious diseases specific to the nervous system or which produce prominent neurological symptoms [parasitic, fungal, bacterial, viral [but not HIV], prion]; viral neurotropism
• Role of inflammatory processes in neural disease or injury; post-ischemic or post-traumatic inflammatory processes; reactive microglia and astrocytes; healing and regenerative processes
• Vascular processes of primary or secondary involvement in neural disorders, including stroke and trauma, vasculitis, edema, and vascular malformations; cerebral blood flow and metabolic state, especially in the context of dementia, epilepsy, diabetes, or brain tumors; vascular effects of drugs or other exogenous agents We propose to delete this area, since the vascular processes are now covered primarily by BINP
• Role of the blood-brain barrier in the etiology and progression of neural disease; traumatic brain injury; delivery of therapeutic agents, such as pharmacological compounds, viral gene therapy, and cell transplantation
  
  
• Brain ventricles and cerebrospinal fluid, including production, metabolism, circulation and regulation of CSF; screening of CSF for diagnostic purposes; intracranial pressure and ventricular space; hydrocephalus and shunts
  
  
• Detection, diagnosis, etiology, mechanism, and treatment of neuroblastomas, gliomas, and tumors of the cerebral vasculature 

 CNBT has the following shared interests within the BDCN IRG:

• With Clinical Neuroscience and Neurodegeneration [CNN]: CNN reviews studies on the anatomical and functional basis of chronic neurodegenerative disorders and injury, while CNBT reviews studies focused on immune or inflammatory mechanisms of the same disorders.
• With Clinical Neuroplasticity and Neurotransmitters [CNNT]: CNBT may examine studies on how immune or inflammatory mechanisms alter neurotransmitter function, but if the focus of the application is on the neurotransmitter, the application is more likely to be reviewed in CNNT.
• With Cell Death in Neurodegeneration [CDIN]: CDIN and CNBT share interest in the contribution of inflammation to neurological disorders.  CDIN may review studies where inflammation is secondary to some other cellular pathophysiology, as in ischemia, however, if inflammatory processes are the principal focus of the studies, CNBT may be more appropriate for review.
• With Clinical Neuroscience and Disease [ANIE]: ANIE reviews studies on the anatomical and functional basis of injury and epilepsy, while CNBT reviews studies that may focus on inflammation or immunology components of these same neural disorders.
• With Developmental Brain Disorders [DBD]: DBD and CNBT may review studies dealing with infectious agents or inflammation.  DBD would be more appropriate for studies involving the particular vulnerability of the fetal, neonatal, or pediatric brain to infectious agents and inflammation, while CNBT would review studies generally dealing with pathogenic processes of infectious agents or inflammatory processes.
• With Neural Basis of Psychopathology, Addictions and Sleep Disorders [NPAS]: NPAS has particular expertise to review studies of addictive, behavioral, cognitive and emotional disorders; while CNBT reviews studies focused on immune or inflammatory mechanisms that might be associated with the same disorders.   

 CNBT has the following shared interests outside the BDCN IRG:

• With the Biobehavioral and Behavioral Processes [BBBP] IRG: Studies where the primary focus is on behavior and behavioral approaches may be reviewed in the BBBP IRG. Studies that focus mainly on the immune, inflammatory, or vascular mechanisms of the neural disorder or injury may be reviewed in CNBT.
•  With the Biology of Development and Aging [BDA] IRG: Studies with a focus on multiple system manifestations of age-related neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease could be reviewed within the BDA IRG, while the role of neural inflammatory processes in these diseases could be reviewed in CDIN.
• With the Cell Biology [CB] IRG: Studies focusing on basic cell processes or an emerging cell biologic approach may be assigned to the CB IRG, while studies that focus mainly on the cell biology of immune or inflammatory mechanisms of the neural disorder or injury may be reviewed in CNBT.
• With Emerging Technologies and Training in Neurosciences [ETTN]: Studies on brain disorders and treatment are a shared interest.  ETTN may review studies that deal with development of new technologies for diagnosis or treatment of infections or inflammatory processes in the nervous system, while CNBT would be appropriate for review of studies proposing to apply these new technologies for diagnosis or treatment.
• With the Genes, Genomes and Genetics [GGG] IRG: The GGG IRG has shared interests with CNBT with respect to diseases of the nervous system.  When the focus of proposed research is primarily on molecular genetic approaches, large-scale gene/genomic/genetic studies, gene discovery using complex or novel technologies, the GGG IRG may be more appropriate.  For example, studies focusing on basic strategies for development of viral gene therapy systems may be reviewed by GGG, while CNBT may be more appropriate when studies focus on the results of such gene therapy on the immune or inflammatory mechanisms of the nervous system.
• With the Health of the Population [HOP] IRG: Studies dealing with descriptive and analytical epidemiologic aspects of various neurologic disorders including those resulting from immune or infectious diseases, stroke and epilepsy may be reviewed within the HOP IRG, while studies that focus primarily mainly on the immune or inflammatory mechanisms of the neural disorder or injury may be reviewed in CNBT.
• With the Infectious Diseases and Microbiology [IDM] IRG: Studies that focus on infective agents such as parasite, bacteria, fungi, viruses and prions would likely be assigned to the IDM IRG, while those focusing on the neurological manifestations of parasitic, bacterial, fungal, viral or prion diseases of the nervous system could be assigned to CNBT.
• With the Integrative, Functional and Cognitive Neuroscience [IFCN] IRG: In general, BDCN study sections review studies relating to abnormal and pathological states, while the IFCN IRG reviews normal aspects of brain function. While IFCN may review studies that elucidate specific neural substrates of motor, sensory or cognitive function, CNBT may review studies with a primary focus on the immune or inflammatory mechanisms of the neural disorder or injury.
• With the Immunology [IMM] IRG:  IMM and CNBT share interest in basic and clinical studies of neuroimmune reactions. The IMM IRG may be more appropriate for studies with a primary focus on cellular immunology or antigen processing, but CNBT may review studies that have a primary focus on the interplay between the immune system and the nervous system, neuromuscular interactions, or neural function.  For example, studies on the contribution of the immune system to such neurological diseases as myasthenia gravis and multiple sclerosis may be reviewed in CNBT.
• With the Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Neuroscience [MDCN] IRG: The MDCN IRG reviews studies on the basic cellular and molecular mechanisms of diseases of the nervous system, however studies that focus on the immune or inflammatory mechanisms of the specific neural disorder or injury may be reviewed in CNBT.
• With the Oncological Sciences [ONC] IRG: Studies that address general aspects of cancer mechanisms may be reviewed in ONC, but studies focused on neuropathology, neurophysiology, functional outcome, and other nervous system consequences resulting from tumor activity may be reviewed in CNBT.