Human brain neurochemistry - some postmortem problems

Abstract

Neurochemical analyses of postmortem human brain tissue is currently a challenging and expanding area of research. Many groups are now concentrating on mapping central neuronal pathways or identifying biochemical abnormalities in neurological and psychiatric diseases. In investigations of this kind a number of more or less obvious problems have to be tackled and this article provides some idea of current, and often controversial, issues associated with sampling postmortem brain material and with some of the variable factors which may influence neurochemical data.