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You donate a kidney and save a person's life. But what about when you give your brain? In Amsterdam, alongside the AMC, Zuidoost is the Dutch brain bank, which puts brain tissue at the disposal of scientists around the world.
Inge Huitinga has been director of the Dutch brain bank for ten years, founded in 1985 by renowned neuroscientist Dick Swaab. The brain bank collects brain tissue after the deaths of people who are brain donors in life. Huitinga is a strong advocate of the brain bank because brain research is revealing new information about neurological or psychological diseases of the brain. This allows patients to be better treated.
How our brain works
The Dutch brain bank aims to better understand the functioning of the human brain and the changes that occur in the brain in case of brain disorders. Until now, there is no effective brain disease for brain disease, "says Huitinga.There are two types of brain diseases: neurological brain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and ALS, and psychiatric brain diseases such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism or obsessive compulsive behavior. "There is very little brain tissue available to see what exactly changes here. "
(Almost) unique in the world
Currently, five thousand people are registered as brain donors.Every year, 150 obductions are made, removal of the brain after death. Five thousand pieces of brain tissue are made available to two hundred universities in 25 different countries, leading to about two thousand scientific publications. Big banks of brains like in Amsterdam. Most brain banks are private collections. Much smaller and not accessible for scientific research.
Brain in the freezer
The majority of brain tissue is stored in freezers at -80 degrees Celsius. In hundreds of boxes, there are small pieces of brain tissue whose number corresponds to an anatomical location in the brain. "It is extremely important that brain tissue be well characterized," says researcher Mark Mizee. "And we know exactly what type of donor it comes in. A researcher who has a question about this raises the question of the tissue with us.We assess whether the quality and feasibility of the proposal are sufficient, then we send the document to the researcher so that he can make new discoveries. "
As soon as a donor dies, brain donation must take place within six hours. This is done under the supervision of the Professor Annemieke Rozemuller at VUmc She is a neuropathologist and expert in the field of brain and nervous system diseases, after having removed the brain, she is cut into two hundred particles, of which 0.008 millimeters are again cut and examined under a microscope, Rozemuller then makes a final diagnosis for which she also studies the donor's medical data in life.In some cases, the post-mortem diagnosis differs from the diagnosis in itial because it makes new discoveries. It also happens that the patient seems to be suffering from multiple brain diseases.
More money …
Inge Huitinga emphasizes the importance of the brain bank. "The neurologist has a lot to do with the diagnosis made by the neuropathologist. The neurologist wants to know what has changed in the brain of his patient. This enriches diagnoses over the course of life and you can also better interpret MRI images to improve diagnoses. And of course, at the brain bank, you have the benefit of having brain tissue for research, so you can develop drugs. "
Huitinga hopes that more money will be released for neuropathological research.The brain bank has a budget of one million euros a year, including two tons of public funds. Remainder is made up of donations from patient associations and other institutions.A team of 34 people is running in. The number of requests for brain removal is higher than what they can generate. Sickness insurers do not pay for neuropathological research because the patient is already dead.It is unfortunate Huitinga. "The costs of patients with brain disease exceed 10 billion euros. Neuropathological research can contribute to knowledge for a better treatment of brain diseases. "In the long run, this also means that Medicare can generate benefits."
… And More Donors
Although the bank of There are five thousand registered donors, and much more is required. There is a particular lack of healthy brain tissue used to check the tissue of a donor with a brain disorder. For the research, two donors of the same sex and the same age are then sought in order to be able to compare the tissue as best as possible.
To become a brain donor, you must draw a separate codicil. This is done in close collaboration with the donor's family. It is important for the brain bank that the family also support the donor's decision. If this is not the case, the gift will not be paid. The communication manager, Petra Brom, still has contacts with the donor and the family. "Sometimes, the family finds it a little scary at first, so it's extremely important to provide good information.After the brain donation, the donor can simply be placed.It's nothing to do with it. Autopsy. "
Read also: AMC has its own cemetery for research on dissolution
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