The Institute of Medicine's Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders focuses on building partnerships to further understand the brain and nervous system, disorders in their structure and function, as well as effective clinical prevention and treatment strategies.  The forum concentrates on the six themes: nervous system disorders, mental illness and addiction, genetics of nervous system disorders, cognition and behavior, modeling and imaging, and ethical and social issues.  It serves to educate the public, press, and policy makers regarding these issues.

The Forum brings together leaders from private sector sponsors of biomedical and clinical research, federal agencies sponsoring and regulating biomedical and clinical research, foundations, the academic community, and consumers.

The Forum sponsors workshops for members and the public to discuss approaches to resolve key challenges identified by Forum members.  It will strive to enhance understanding of research and clinical issues associated with the nervous system among the scientific community and the general public, and provide a mechanism to foster partnerships among stakeholders.