Association of Anatomical Pathology Technology
News
Guidance for hospital and mortuary staff on brain and spinal cord donations for research
Many people, with the agreement of their relatives, want to support research into dementia and other brain diseases by donating their brain to a brain bank for research.
Brain banks encourage potential donors to provide written consent while they are alive so that brain donation can proceed smoothly after they have died. Donated brains can only be retrieved on premises licensed by the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) for removal and storage of tissues for use for research.
Most of these premises are mortuaries in NHS hospitals.