CORE--NEUROPATHOLOGY

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The Neuropathology (NP) Core of the UCLA-Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (hereafter ADRC) will perform complete or "brain only" autopsies on patients enlisted in the Autopsy Program, as well as patients with over neurodegenerative diseases (and appropriate controls) and will sere as a data and tissue/fluid resource for individuals performing innovative research on Alzheimer disease/senile dementia of Alzheimer type (AD/SDAT), non-AD dementias, and other scientists interested in neurodegenerative conditions. Brain tissues from appropriate autopsies will be triaged and stored at the time of necropsy in order to optimize their subsequent use of structural and molecular/pharmacologic research. The tissue harvesting method will be one developed during the first eight years of funding of the UCLA Alzheimer's Disease Center (ADC), i.e. materials will be stored frozen, paraformaldehyde fixed (with subsequent embedding in LR White plastic), or in paraffin blocks. Tissue studies in the NP Core will include systematic blocking of fixed brain tissue, routine and specialized silver strains that demonstrate microscopic AD-related lesions (senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles), and immunohistochemical staining using both commercially available antibodies and antibodies/reagents/probes developed in the NP Core or with collaborating investigators. Thus tissues/fluids provided to investigators will have been carefully and systematically assessed for AD and related disease processes. Information on autopsied patients also will be submitted to, and maintained in, the ADRC Database, ensuring its availability to investigators carrying out either clinical or basic studies. Other general functions of the NP Core will include (a) Interactions with the Clinical Core and Imaging Sub-core to provide tissues for ApoE genotyping and other work, (c) Morphologic/immunohistochemical support of ongoing AD-related (and animal model-based) studies and Project Leaders by direct collaboration or provision of key reagents, (d) Liaison with community pathologists who are called upon to asses autopsy brain tissue from demented patients, (d) Discussion with lay groups of the importance of autopsies on demented patients, and (e) Collaborating with the Education Core to conduct, optimize and assess the didactic value of a monthly dementia- related clinicopathologic conference.