Edinburgh Brain and Tissue Bank

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Scientific research ultimately aims to improve the health and wellbeing of the public. To achieve this we need to understand the mechanisms of disease such that we may try to develop new treatments. Diseases of the nervous system in particular cause considerable suffering not just to the individual but also to the carers. To better understand disease processes requires the study of animal models, to try and work out the mechanisms of a disease, and then translation of these mechanisms to the human setting. It is in this translation that collected human material, obtained at autopsy with the full consent of the next of kin, is invaluable. It is through the donation of tissues to scientific research that some carers are able to achieve peace of mind that some good may come from the death of a family member. Brain tissue has been collected for many years from cases of long-term neurological diseases such as dementia and multiple sclerosis, and Edinburgh is an internationally recognised centre in prion brain banking. In the setting of sudden death, where the bereavement is often felt more acutely due to the unexpectedness of the death and often due to the young age of the individuals involved, donating tissues to scientific research has previously not been an option available to the next of kin. The MRC funded Edinburgh brain and tissue bank provides this opportunity. Although many individuals dying suddenly may have no neurological disease at the time of death, their tissues can provide valuable information when compared to brain of an individual with established neurological disease. This control function of normal brain tissue is essential to investigation of all brain disorders and is as important as getting access to tissue from brain disorders. In addition, conditions which are rarely encountered in the hospital autopsy environment are seen in the setting of sudden death, particularly psychiatric cases, and cases related to addiction (drugs and alcohol).