SUBJECT: NINDS strategic plan planning process input from national organized
neurological surgical organizations
Dear Dr. Schor:
On behalf of the American Academy of Neurological Surgeons (AAcNS), American Association of
Neurological Surgeons (AANS), American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS), Congress of
Neurological Surgeons (CNS) and Society of Neurological Surgeons (SNS), representing organized
neurosurgery in the United States, we are pleased to respond to your request for input on the National
Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) strategic plan planning process. Below are our
collective thoughts and recommendations related to the following points, as defined in the NINDS
request for information.
I. Opportunities for, and challenges facing, progress in neuroscience research and
neurological health.
Neurosurgeon researchers provide a unique opportunity to advance biomedical understanding and the
development of new therapies for nervous system disorders. Neurosurgeons can provide insights into
neurobiological-clinical correlations across the continuum of neurologic disease. Neurosurgeon-driven
understanding will come from the assessment of patients that can be directly linked to operating room
observations and direct response to monitoring and therapy. Traditionally, neurosurgeons form and
propel essential collaborations with investigators across scientific fields that have culminated in a deeper
understanding of normal and disease pathobiology. These findings have led to new effective treatment
paradigms (medical and surgical) for previously untreatable or ineffectively treated nervous system
disorders. Neurosurgical access to the nervous system can provide direct and potent insights into
nervous system anatomy, biology and physiology. Moreover, neurosurgeons are essential to the use of
new surgical therapeutic technology for treatment.
Read full letter here
