NIH Toolbox

The NIH Toolbox® for the Assessment of Neurological and Behavioral Function® is a multidimensional set of brief royalty-free measures that researchers and clinicians can use to assess cognitive, sensory, motor and emotional function in people ages 3–85. This suite of measures can be administered to study participants in two hours or less, in a variety of settings, with a particular emphasis on measuring outcomes in longitudinal epidemiologic studies and prevention or intervention trials. The battery has been normed and validated across the lifespan in subjects age 3-85 and its use ensures that assessment methods and results can be used for comparisons across existing and future studies. The NIH Toolbox is capable of monitoring neurological and behavioral function over time, and measuring key constructs across developmental stages. The NIH Toolbox® for the Assessment of Neurological and Behavioral Function® is a multidimensional set of brief royalty-free measures that researchers and clinicians can use to assess cognitive, sensory, motor and emotional function in people ages 3–85. This suite of measures can be administered to study participants in two hours or less, in a variety of settings, with a particular emphasis on measuring outcomes in longitudinal epidemiologic studies and prevention or intervention trials. The battery has been normed and validated across the lifespan in subjects age 3-85 and its use ensures that assessment methods and results can be used for comparisons across existing and future studies. The NIH Toolbox is capable of monitoring neurological and behavioral function over time, and measuring key constructs across developmental stages. In 2004, the 15 Institutes, Centers and Offices at the National Institutes of Health which support neuroscience research formed a coalition called the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research. The NIH Blueprint goal is to develop new tools, resources, and training opportunities to accelerate the pace of discovery in neuroscience research. Because the research community had long sought the development of standard instruments to measure cognitive and emotional health, in 2006 the NIH Blueprint awarded a contract to develop an innovative approach to meet this need. Under the leadership of principal investigator Richard C. Gershon, a team of more than 300 scientists from nearly 100 academic institutions were charged with developing a set of tools to enhance data collection in large cohort studies and to advance the neurobehavioral research enterprise.