An ad hoc planning committee will plan and host a workshop inviting key stakeholders to discuss potential opportunities for maximizing the translation of effective therapies from animal models to clinical practice for nervous system disorders.

Specifically participants will be invited to:

· Discuss key issues that contribute to the poor predictive power of animal model studies.

· Identify core principles that would maximize the probability of bidirectional translation of animal models and clinical research.

· Consider strategies to increase the scientific rigor of preclinical efficacy testing.

- Explore the utility of standardizing operating procedures and outcome measures of preclinical efficacy testing.

· Determine the next steps that will be critical for improvement of the development and testing of animal models of disorders of the nervous system.

- Identify mechanisms for the evaluation and validation of putative animal models.

- Identify key components of the infrastructure support that will be required for implementation.

An individually authored workshop summary will be prepared based on the information gathered and the discussions held during the workshop in accordance with institutional policy and procedures.