Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Dementia with Lewy Bodies, Frontotemporal Dementia, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, will affect millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iowans in the coming years. These diseases have no cures or disease-modifying therapies because the mechanisms of neurodegeneration remain unclear. The Iowa Center for Neurodegeneration integrates basic science and clinical research into a single, collaborative center focused specifically on neurodegenerative diseases with a goal of improving treatment of neurodegenerative diseases for underserved rural populations in Iowa and beyond.