Learn, play & verify

Test Your NF Knowledge

Take a 20-question knowledge challenge built from reviewed NF and medical sources. Every test includes 15 NF questions, one pop-culture question, one sports question, one algebra question, and two all-ages random questions.

Build your pathway

What would you like to explore?

TopicNF condition

Explain It Differently

Quick gives the shortest overview. Plain language reduces technical wording. Detailed adds context. Research-level keeps study and evidence terminology.

Choose how much detail appears in the storyline

Your NF Storyline · All NF conditions

Pain & symptoms

Plain language

Pain in NF can have different causes and effects. This pathway helps you explore the body, current evidence, care resources, and ways to describe what is changing.

The pathway keeps condition differences visible and does not assume that information about one NF condition applies to another.

Understand the topicStart with a clear explanation

Pain in NF can have different causes and effects. This pathway helps you explore the body, current evidence, care resources, and ways to describe what is changing.

Learn the languageOpen useful Glossary+ terms

pain interferenceneuropathic painquality of lifepatient-reported outcome

Explore the evidenceFind current research connected to this topic

Discovery Lab groups relevant publications, funded projects, registered studies, and trusted sources. Follow the Research remains limited to records with documented identifier connections.

Prepare for actionUse questions and practical resources

What changes should I document before my appointment?
What might help clarify the source or pattern of this pain?
Which outcomes are current NF pain studies measuring?
How will we measure whether a treatment improves function—not only pain intensity?
What should make me contact the care team sooner than planned?

See the larger historyConnect relevant community milestones

Community Milestones places major discoveries, organizations, programs, shared research resources, and treatment changes in chronological context.

How this works: NF Storylines organizes maintained Hub content and links. It does not diagnose symptoms, recommend treatment, or replace individualized guidance from an experienced healthcare professional.

Educational exploration

Explore the NF Body

Choose a body system, symptom, or everyday concern to explore possible NF connections, questions researchers study, and reviewed starting points. NF affects every person differently; an item appearing here does not mean that every person with NF will experience it.

All body areas and topics

Hover or focus an outlined area to see its name

A young adult seated at a desk in a bedroom study with a leg cast, crutches, headphones, glasses, and a journal

Selected starting point

Brain & nervous system

Explain It Differently

Quick gives the shortest overview. Plain language reduces technical wording. Detailed adds context. Research-level keeps study and evidence terminology.

Choose how this body-area overview is explained

Explore tumors of the brain, spine, and nerves, neurologic changes, headaches, seizures, and related monitoring or research questions.

Topics you may encounter

Brain and spinal tumors
Peripheral nerves
Headaches and seizures
Neurologic function

Questions to consider about brain & nervous system

Which changes involving brain & nervous system should I document or report before my next routine visit?
What NF-related and non-NF-related possibilities should be considered instead of assuming one cause?
Which examination, measurement, test, or specialist could help clarify what is changing?
How will we track effects on daily function, comfort, work, school, communication, or independence?
What would change the monitoring plan or make earlier follow-up appropriate?

Open reviewed overview

Reviewed starting points: The body-system and whole-person summaries use current GeneReviews chapters for NF1, NF2-related schwannomatosis, and LZTR1- and SMARCB1-related schwannomatosis. They are navigation aids, not complete lists of manifestations, surveillance recommendations, or treatment guidance.

20 questions

NF Knowledge Challenge

Choose a level, answer every question, and submit when you are ready. The selected level prioritizes questions at or near that difficulty, so some neighboring levels may appear. This is educational—not a measure of medical expertise.

0 of 20 answered

NF questions are based primarily on GeneReviews and other NIH/NLM resources, with CTF, FDA, ClinicalTrials.gov, and other authoritative sources used where appropriate. Question content was last reviewed August 2026.

Ask NF Research

Build a stronger research question.

Choose what you want to study. This tool will create a detailed prompt you can copy into ChatGPT or another research assistant. It does not search or answer the question on this website.

1Fill it inAdd only the details you want to share.

2Copy the promptReview it and copy it with one click.

3Open an AI toolPaste the prompt, then check the response carefully.

4Show it as textIf the AI tool displays it as a document, click “Show in text field.”

What would you like to research? Required to copy the prompt

NF condition Optional · Select all that apply

Leave this blank if the condition is unknown or if you do not want to limit the research question by NF condition.

Population Optional · Select all that apply

Leave this blank to avoid limiting the research question to a particular age group or population.

Publication start date Optional

Leave both dates blank for no date restriction. Enter both dates when you need an exact publication range.

Publication end date Optional

Leave both dates blank for no date restriction. Enter both dates when you need an exact publication range.

Number of studiesEnter the number of distinct studies you would like the search to return.

Research to include Select all that apply

Choose what may be included in the search. The next section separately controls what may count toward the requested study total.

Evidence that may count toward the requested total Select all that apply

Other useful sources can still be listed separately, but they will not be used to fill the requested study count.

Your generated prompt

Ready to copy

Copy prompt is unavailable until you enter what you would like to research.

Enter a research question above to create your prompt.

Use your prompt with an AI assistant

Copy the finished prompt, then open the assistant you prefer.

Claude ChatGPT Gemini Microsoft Copilot Perplexity

Review Research Links

Review, verify, and translate one source—or compare several.

Paste one or more study, trial, article, or research-page links. Choose what should be reviewed and how it should be explained, then copy the generated prompt into ChatGPT or another research assistant. This website does not open or analyze the links itself.

1Fill it inAdd only the details you want to share.

2Copy the promptReview it and copy it with one click.

3Open an AI toolPaste the prompt, then check the response carefully.

4Show it as textIf the AI tool displays it as a document, click “Show in text field.”

Explain It Differently

Quick gives the shortest overview. Plain language reduces technical wording. Detailed adds context. Research-level keeps study and evidence terminology.

Choose how the finished research review should be written

Identify the evidenceSource type, design, population, status, and confidence

Interpret it carefullyFindings, limitations, uncertainty, and NF-specific patient relevance

Trace verified connectionsDOI, PMID, NCT, grant, and official source links only

Research links Required to copy the prompt · Place each link on a separate line

Use a complete web address beginning with http:// or https:// that opens a specific study, clinical-trial record, article, or research page. A DOI should be entered as a full link, such as https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx. Do not enter only a title, DOI number, search terms, or a general website homepage.

NF condition Optional · Select all that apply

Leave this blank if the condition is unknown or if you want the source reviewed without limiting it to a selected NF condition.

This optional selection applies only to this link-review prompt.

What should be reviewed? Optional · Select all that apply

Leave every option unselected for basic source identification and a patient-friendly summary.

Add at least two valid links to select Compare sources.

Your research review + translation prompt

Ready to copy

Copy prompt is unavailable until you enter at least one complete link beginning with http:// or https://.

Paste one or more research links above to create your review prompt.

Use your prompt with an AI assistant

Copy the finished prompt, then open the assistant you prefer.

Claude ChatGPT Gemini Microsoft Copilot Perplexity

Test Your NF Knowledge

Find evidence—and understand what it means.

Follow one topic across the Hub.

What would you like to explore?

Getting Started with NF Research

How to understand research evidence

Where should I start?

NIH neurofibromatosis overview

Search clinical trials

Search published evidence

Research & News Sources

Children’s Tumor Foundation News

CTF Drug Discovery Tools & Resources

CTF NF Clinical Drug Pipeline

Boston Children’s NF Research & Innovation

CHOP Neurofibromatosis Research

Cincinnati Children’s Neurofibromatosis Research

Cleveland Clinic Neurofibromatosis Research & Trials

DoD Neurofibromatosis Research Program

EU Clinical Trials Information System

Europe PMC

FDA Drug Approvals and Databases

FDA NF search

GeneReviews: Neurofibromatosis 1

Genetic Testing Registry

Latest NF publications

MedlinePlus: Neurofibromatosis

MUSC Neurofibromatosis Research & Trials

NCI Neurofibromatosis Clinical Research

Neurofibromatosis Therapeutic Acceleration Program

NF Clinical Trials Consortium

NF Data Portal

NF Network News

NIH News Releases

NIH RePORTER

PubMed Central

Recently updated NF studies

St. Jude NF Research & Clinical Trials

UAMS Neurofibromatosis Research

WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform

Latest NF publications

Recently funded NF projects

Find an NF Study or Clinical Trial

ClinicalTrials.gov study results

Research Radar

Follow the Research

NF Research Map

NF Discovery Lab

Explore a connected research topic

Pain & symptoms

Publications and funded projects

ClinicalTrials.gov studies

Trusted research starting points

Explore the NF Body

Choose where you want to begin

Brain & nervous system

Topics you may encounter