Isolated nerve endings (synaptosomes) that show high rates of metabolic activity have been prepared up to 24 h postmortem from the brains of patients who have died suddenly. In contrast, similar preparations from brains of patients dying after a prolonged terminal illness showed little or no respiration. These data suggest that the agonal state of the patient is of major importance when investigating specific defects in neurotransmitter function in cerebral disorders and effects of neuroactive drugs on human tissue.

No abstract

The pitfalls and practicalities in collecting and banking human brain tissues for variety of uses RAVID R. and KAMPHORST W. Netherlands Brain Bank, Amsterdam, NetherlandsBrain banks are an essential repository supporting the international scientific community. The growing number of techniques applied on post-mortem samples increases the pressure on brain banks. Most active brain banks have been established in the past decades and form at present an important link between donors, their relatives, clinicians, neuropathologists and scientists. Quality control and matching the samples is essential to correct for the enormous variability in patient material; These include age, gender, clinical history, medication prior to death, agonal state/pH, seasonal and annual variation, post mortem-delay, handling methods, fixation time and storage time. The diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases is severely hampered by the absence of suitable biomarkers that can be measured in body fluids such as blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). These markers can explain the pathological mechanisms underlying the various diseases and have a predictive value in early diagnostics and should be collected as well when possible. Human tissue and Bio-banking is a complex field and the daily practice of Brain Banks needs to abide by several golden standards in order to avoid pitfalls in basic research: (i) A donor system in which informed consent is granted for the use of the samples for scientific research, including genetic analysis and access to medical records; (ii) Rapid autopsy system; (iii) Compatibility of protocols for procurement, management, handling and storage; (iv) A generally accepted consensus on diagnostic criteria; (v) Quality control; (vi) Abiding by local/international legal and ethical guidelines for work with human material and (viii) Proper safety procedures.

No abstract