Brain and Body Donation Program with full autopsies
The SHRI Brain Donation Program expanded its operations in September 2005 by offering whole-body donation to all enrolled subjects and to newly-recruited subjects. Since that time, approximately 600 former brain-only donors have consented to whole-body donation and we have performed more than 50 such autopsies, extending our rapid postmortem banking procedures to all major bodily organs and tissues. Although this expansion has been done in the interest of pursuing research in diseases of other organ systems, it has been increasingly recognized that concurrent disease in other organ systems may contribute to the clinical expression of neurodegenerative disease. Banking tissue from throughout the body has also helped diversify our funding sources, allowing for greater financial stability.