Tissue available for research
 The Parkinson's Brain Bank
offers a range of high-quality tissue, extensive donor information
and expert knowledge to support research towards a cure for
Parkinson's.
Image: Slides of human brain sections, Science Photo
Library
Find out how researchers can request
tissue
Brain Bank inventory
Our current inventory includes a collection of more than 250
donated brains diagnosed with a range of conditions.
Our Brain Bank inventory includes neuropathological
diagnoses of:
- Parkinson's disease
- Young onset Parkinson's disease
- Parkinson's disease with dementia
- Dementia with Lewy bodies
- Young onset dementia with Lewy bodies
- Multiple system atrophy (MSA)
- Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP)
- Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease
- Dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer's disease
- Progressive supranuclear palsy and Alzheimer's disease
- Essential tremor
- Frontal temporal lobar degeneration with motor neurone
disease
- Non-alpha synuclein parkinsonism and tremor
Researchers can also request control and disease control cases
matched for ante-mortem parameters such as age, sex, time, agonal
state and pH. Postmortem parameters such as postmortem delay,
freezing or fixation procedure and storage time are also
available.
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Neuropathological
examination of fixed tissue
Donated brains are fixed in buffered formalin for four weeks and
subsequently dissected. Our neuropathologist examines the fixed
tissue and removes over 21 different anatomical areas for detailed
analysis.
Additional areas can be dissected and preserved (fixed-frozen)
depending on the postmortem delay, clinical diagnosis and specific
requests from researchers.
All neuropathological diagnoses are based on accepted consensus
criteria, including those for Lewy body disorders (McKeith et
al, 2005) and Braak staging for Alzheimer's.
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Tissue samples and
applications
 The Parkinson's Brain Bank aims to remove, collect and
transport donor tissue to our laboratories within 24 hours.
Our rapid retrieval guarantees short postmortem delays and
high-quality tissue that is suitable for genomic and proteomic
analysis, staining techniques, and postmortem cell and tissue
cultures.
We can provide lists of publications that have used our tissue for
a wide range of techniques.
Researchers can request fresh-frozen, formalin fixed-frozen or
paraffin-embedded tissue in the form of blocks, slices or sections
mounted on slides. Each case has tissue available in the following
format.
Format of tissue available to researchers
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Within 24 hours of death
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24-48 hours after death
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Fresh tissue slices or blocks
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Fixed hemisect
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Snap frozen tissue blocks or sections
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Fixed slices or blocks
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Fixed embedded sections
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Fixed embedded sections
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Fixed frozen tissue blocks or sections
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Fixed frozen tissue blocks or sections
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Donor information
All our tissue is well-characterised and accompanied by extensive
anonymised background donor information.
Donors who pledge to donate their brain complete an initial
lifestyle and medical history questionnaire. This covers key
symptoms such as motor, cognition, hallucinations, autonomic, mood
and sleep. We continually update this information with a disease
progression questionnaire and medication sheet, which is completed
by potential donors every two years.
For each case, researchers receive a detailed neuropathological
report, clinical report and patient medical notes. Case information
is securely accessed online through a unique account.
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Find out more
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