Human brain tissue is an absolute requirement for research in neurological diseases that can ultimately lead to prevention, amelioration and cure of these diseases. It is indispensable for: 

• confirmation of clinical diagnosis

• full characterization of clinical, pathological, molecular, and genetic aspects of neurological diseases 

• studies of the involvement of biomolecules and their interactions using histological staining and ultrastructural techniques.

 

Although some details of the disease process may be examined in animal and cell-based models, unfortunately, there are no satisfactory models for many neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. Hence, cutting edge research requires securing well-characterized human brain tissue. To tackle this enormous problem, a concerted effort by clinical and basic science researchers is required. 

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Research using human brain tissues has made, and is expected to continue to make, significant contributions to discovery of the causes, treatments, and the ultimate cures for a number of diseases affecting the nervous system. In fact, many drugs currently used to treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease were developed solely as a consequence of examining post-mortem brain tissues of affected individuals and comparing them to normal brain tissues (Bartus et al., 1982; Coyle et al., 1983; Birkmayer and Hornykiewicz, 1998; Ehringer and Horneykiewicz, 1998; Atri, 2011).

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To be able to examine and work with brain tissue from diseased and healthy individuals, it is imperative that well-characterized brain tissues be stored and made available to neuroscience researchers globally.