The NINDS Division of Intramural Research (DIR) is the internal research program of the NINDS and is among the largest neuroscience research centers in the world. It is home to more than 500 scientists who conduct leading-edge basic, translational, and clinical research in neuroscience, neurology, and neurosurgery research at NINDS laboratories in Bethesda, Maryland.
Basic research pursues an understanding of the normal and abnormal structure and activities of the human nervous system. Translational research applies the ideas, insights, and discoveries generated through basic science to potential new therapies for human disease. It bridges basic and clinical research —which applies directly to disease detection, prevention, and treatment.
NINDS Intramural scientists cover a broad range of neuroscience research, including molecular biophysics, synapses and circuits, neuronal development, integrative neuroscience, neurogenetics, neuroimmunology, surgical neurology, brain imaging, and neurological disorders.
The NIH DIR’s unique funding structure provides investigators with the stability, flexibility, synergistic environment, and resources to conduct distinctive long-term and high-risk, high-reward science that breaks new ground, defines scientific excellence, and improves human health.
Office of the Scientific Director
Office of the Clinical Director
Organizational Chart(pdf, 202 KB)
Our Mission
NINDS Division of Intramural Research (DIR): At a Glance
Dr. Jeffrey Diamond, Acting Scientific Director
Dr. Avindra Nath, Clinical Director
NINDS DIR conducts research and training in laboratories on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland.
- 54 Principal Investigators lead research programs across the neurosciences
- Focus on high-risk, high-reward science
- Cutting edge facilities and scientific and clinical resources
- Training opportunities for all scientific and clinical career stages
- NIH Neuroscience Series Seminar
- Clinical Neuroscience Grand Rounds
The DIR supports/offers pre- and postdoctoral programs in both laboratory and clinical medicine, collaborations, jointly sponsored seminar series and special interest groups. Unique resources of the Intramural program include access to the NIH Clinical Center, which is a hospital totally dedicated to clinical research, and the NIH Porter Neuroscience Research Center, which integrates neuroscience researchers across 13 NIH Institutes and transcends disciplinary boundaries.
NINDS investigators contribute to a vital and growing neuroscience research community at the NIH.