News

NIH launched a new federal challenge to encourage community-based organizations to develop and implement strategies to reduce health disparities experienced by people with disabilities.

Adolescents with a concussion who exercised more than 150 minutes a week slept better than those who exercised less, a study found. Better sleep may promote faster recovery from concussion.

As we ring in 2024, we’d like to take a brief look back on our accomplishments during 2023. These activities illustrate the institute’s continued commitment to research and training in its mission areas.

Read about NICHD’s research findings and activities from 2022.

A multidimensional MRI method developed at NICHD can detect astrogliosis, a neuroinflammatory response that occurs in traumatic brain injury and many other neurological conditions, a new study suggests. Researchers had previously established that the multidimensional MRI strategy can identify diffuse axonal injury—a microscopic brain injury that, like astrogliosis, cannot be detected by conventional radiological methods.

Read about NICHD’s research findings and activities from 2021.

The newly published 2021 NIH Research Plan on Rehabilitation reflects advances since the previous plan was released in 2016 and new directions that will help guide rehabilitation research across NIH for the next five years.

Read about the career and achievements of NICHD Deputy Director Dr. Alison Cernich.

2020 was a year filled with many challenges. NICHD remained focused on our core mission, advancing key research in women’s health, reproductive science, rare childhood diseases and many more. Watch the video below and review our research highlights of 2020.

Physicians could improve prescribing practices for children with severe neurological impairments by periodically administering parent questionnaires to assess the children’s symptoms, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Such routine assessments could help detect adverse effects of drug interactions or cases in which medications have been under or overprescribed.

The National Center for Medical Rehabilitation was established in 1990 through the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act.

Our National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research has advanced the field with significant achievements over the past 30 years that have improved the health, independence and quality of life of people with disabilities.

Read about NICHD’s notable research findings and activities from 2019.

NIH invites comments on its Plan of Rehabilitation Research to help update the plan.

NICHD’s Amir Gandjbakhche, Ph.D., leads a team that is pioneering the use of portable imaging technology to study human development and health conditions, including brain injuries and disorders.

Women and girls with a concussion are more likely than males to have a neck injury, according to an analysis of emergency department visits funded by the NICHD. The finding suggests that physicians evaluating females for concussion should also consider evaluating them for neck injury so that they can benefit from treatment as soon as possible.

Collaboration with CDC aimed at evaluating pregnancy initiatives and outcomes

Nearly a third of children experiencing a concussion had symptoms, including headache, irritability, and fatigue, up to a year after their injury, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.