The Oregon Brain Bank program, established in 1990 with the assistance of the Alzheimer Research Alliance of Oregon, and the National Institute on Aging funded Alzheimer’s Disease Center at OHSU serves three main purposes:

(1) to provide Neuropathological Diagnoses of organic dementias in subjects who are part of cohorts in NIH and related sponsored research projects;

(2) to provide Neuropathological Diagnoses to families of demented patients among the general community of the Pacific Northwest; and

(3) to harvest suitably collected portmortem tissue-samples in support of the “BRAINS for Oregon” program [brain repository for academic investigations in the neurosciences].

Since its inception, over 1700 cases have been accessioned. Specimens include, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, encephalitis, Alzheimer’s disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis and control cases. The brain bank accessions approximately 100 new cases of demented and aged control subjects per year. Cases are well documented pathologically, and samples made available to interested laboratories. Requests are submitted to the Neuropathology Core of the Layton Aging & Alzheimer’s Disease Center for approval:Pathology L113, Section of Neuropathology, OHSU. (Supported in part by NIH P30 AG008017).

What is the Purpose of the Oregon Brain Bank? The purpose is to study the brains of individuals with dementing illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s disease and to provide tissue for research with the hope of understanding and eventually curing these diseases. The brain examination provides a pathological diagnosis, and the results are made available to the family and the referring physician(s).

What is a Brain Autopsy? It is the examination of the brain tissue after death. The brain is preserved and small samples are examined under a microscope by a neuropathologist to determine the disease process. It remains the only reliable means of confirming the specific diagnosis of a dementing illness. Brain autopsies provide a valuable resource for research into the cause of the devastating illnesses that strike the brain, as well as a source of normal brain tissue from “control” cases who did not have dementia.

Why is a Brain Autopsy Important? There are two main reasons: A family may wish to find out the precise cause of their family member’s dementia, and to help medical research. Autopsy tissue is vital to studies aimed at answering questions about what causes dementia, how to prevent it and how to cure it.

What is The Cost? Patients enrolled in special research protocols receive this service at no cost.