Neurodegenerative Disease Brain Bank
The UCSF Neurodegenerative Disease Brain Bank (NDBB) was established in 2008 and serves as a repository for nervous system tissue donated for research purposes. The NDBB is committed to advancing the understanding of neurodegenerative disease by (1) performing comprehensive neuropathological characterization of participants who participated in clinical research during life and (2) providing tissue to leading investigators worldwide.
For more information about the program, see the Memory and Aging Center website.
Brain Donation
Brain donation provides individuals the opportunity to help others affected by dementia by advancing our scientific understanding of neurodegenerative diseases and healthy aging. We honor the gift of donation and treat donors, their bereaved families, and all tissue with care and respect.
Examining the brain after death is currently the only way to obtain a definitive diagnosis of the underlying causes of a neurodegenerative condition.
Families can learn important information about their loved one’s disease through autopsy, and our neurologists discuss the autopsy findings with each family after the analysis is complete. Some families find that brain donation and receiving a final definitive diagnosis can help to provide closure and an enduring sense of contribution.
Contact
Planning for brain donation in advance is important, and we encourage interested individuals to contact us as soon as possible to discuss the program in more detail. Although enrollment may take place at the time of death, advanced planning allows the coordination process to go more smoothly and may reduce the emotional stress a family feels at the time of a loved one’s passing.
Simply call us with questions. General inquiries may be made during business hours, and the autopsy coordinator is available 24 hours/day, 7 days/week for urgent needs (i.e., near or at the time of a donor’s death).
Autopsy Coordinator
Phone: 415-476-1681
Email: [email protected]
24/7 pager: 415-719-8281