Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Apr;35(2):283-288.
doi: 10.1007/s12264-018-0326-3. Epub 2019 Jan 2.

Brain Banking for Research into Neurodegenerative Disorders and Ageing

Claire E Shepherd  1 , Holly Alvendia  1   2 , Glenda M Halliday  3   4
Affiliations
Review

Brain Banking for Research into Neurodegenerative Disorders and Ageing

Claire E Shepherd et al. Neurosci Bull. 2019 Apr.

Abstract

Advances in cellular and molecular biology underpin most current therapeutic advances in medicine. Such advances for neurological and neurodegenerative diseases are hindered by the lack of similar specimens. It is becoming increasingly evident that greater access to human brain tissue is necessary to understand both the cellular biology of these diseases and their variation. Research in these areas is vital to the development of viable therapeutic options for these currently untreatable diseases. The development and coordination of human brain specimen collection through brain banks is evolving. This perspective article from the Sydney Brain Bank reviews data concerning the best ways to collect and store material for different research purposes.

Keywords: Brain banking; Brain donation; Human brain tissue processing; Neurodegenerative diseases.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors direct and manage the Sydney Brain Bank.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
A schematic representation of Sydney Brain Bank processes for brain donation. Brain donors are recruited through longitudinal clinical research programs undertaking comprehensive clinical assessments. All tissue is characterized according to current research diagnostic criteria and tissue integrity checks are undertaken. Tissue is provided to researchers for projects that have been approved by an independent scientific review committee and minimal fee-for-service cost-recovery is applied.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kretzschmar H. Brain banking: opportunities, challenges and meaning for the future. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2009;10:70–78. doi: 10.1038/nrn2535. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Autopsy Working Group P. The decline of the hospital autopsy: a safety and quality issue for healthcare in Australia. Med J Aust 2004, 180: 281–285. - PubMed
    1. Vonsattel JP, Del Amaya MP, Keller CE. Twenty-first century brain banking. Processing brains for research: the Columbia University methods. Acta Neuropathol 2008, 115: 509–532. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Klioueva NM, Rademaker MC, Dexter DT, Al-Sarraj S, Seilhean D, Streichenberger N, et al. BrainNet Europe’s Code of Conduct for brain banking. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2015;122:937–940. doi: 10.1007/s00702-014-1353-5. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. The Lancet Neurology Brain banking: more effective strategies needed. Lancet Neurol. 2013;12:1035. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(13)70249-7. - DOI - PubMed