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National Institute on Aging

The National Institute on Aging (NIA), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), works to increase understanding of the nature and implications of aging and to extend the healthy active years of life. The NIA was established in 1974 after the White House Conference on Aging recommended its creation and Congress authorized, through Public Law 93-296, formation of NIA to provide leadership in aging research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs relevant to aging and older adults.

Subsequent amendments to the legislation designated the NIA as the primary federal government agency for Alzheimer's disease research.

The NIA's mission is to improve the health and well-being of older Americans through research and specifically to do the following:

  • Support and conduct high-quality research on aging processes, age-related diseases, and special problems and needs of the aged
  • Train and develop highly skilled research scientists from all population groups
  • Develop and maintain state-of-the-art resources to accelerate research progress
  • Disseminate information and communicate with the public and interested groups on health and research advances and on new directions for research

NIA Research Programs

The NIA sponsors aging-related research through its extramural and intramural programs. The extramural program funds research and training at universities and other research centers throughout the United States and abroad. The intramural program conducts laboratory and clinical research at facilities in Baltimore and Bethesda, Maryland. Within these programs, NIA scientists and those supported by NIA grants and contracts are exploring everything from cell function to social interaction, with major focuses on the biology of aging, reducing disease and disability, Alzheimer's disease and cognitive changes, and the behavioral and social aspects of aging. During recent years, the NIA also has increasingly promoted the study of sex and racial/ethnic disparities in health, developed strategies to include more minorities in research, and encouraged the training of more minority scientists.

Extramural Research

Approximately 80% of the NIA's funding is disbursed through extramural awards made to universities, medical centers, and other public and private research organizations. The NIA's extramural program encompasses four major areas of emphasis: the biology of aging, behavioral and social research, neuroscience and neuropsychology of aging, and geriatrics and clinical gerontology.

The Biology of Aging Program supports research to enhance and extend the health of older people through studies of the basic biological processes associated with aging. Research within this program examines many of the fundamental mechanisms of aging—in genes, in the biochemistry of cells, and in critical organs of the body. This work includes studying the gradual or biologically programmed alterations of structure and function that characterize normal aging as well as changes that are risk factors for, or accompany, age-related disease states. For example, NIA-funded scientists are using animal models and organisms such as fruit flies and yeast to learn about the genetics of longevity and disease.

The Behavioral and Social Research Program looks at how people change during the adult life span, the interrelationships between older people and social institutions, and the societal impact of the aging population. Research within this program examines diverse concerns such as health disparities; psychological development; cognitive functioning; reducing disability; behavior change interventions; genetics, behavior, and the social environment; and the burden of illness and the efficiency of health systems. A major program initiative, the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), is one of the most extensive surveys on health and retirement ever conducted in the United States. Every 2 years since 1992, HRS researchers have surveyed 22,000 people over 50 years of age to paint a comprehensive picture of older Americans' health and disability status, work and retirement circumstances, income and wealth, and other aspects of aging.

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