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Canada is facing a brain drain (of sorts)

Douglas Brain Bank needs more donations

par Toula Foscolos
Voir tous les articles de Toula Foscolos
Article mis en ligne le 2 mai 2007 à 7:00
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Douglas Brain Bank needs more donations

Founded in 1980, the Douglas Brain Bank is the oldest in Canada and with 1,569 brains donated since it's inception, it's also one of the two largest in the country.

Brain donations are essential for researchers as they strive to understand mental disorders and dysfunctions of brain chemistry and structure. To get a better understanding of these disorders, researchers rely on the study of brains that come from healthy individuals and from individuals suffering from Alzheimers, schizophrenia and other disorders.

Our brains may hold the key to mental illness diagnosis

Is the Alzheimer’s’ brain different from that of an unaffected individual? What about the brain from a severely depressed or schizophrenic patient? The key to these questions may lie in the brains themselves.

This is why donation of brain tissue has become an important element for mental health research. Since 1980 the Douglas has had the delicate and critical task of recruiting donors to their Brain Bank, which provides the scientific community with precious samples of brain tissues.

“There are a growing number of people who suffer from neurodegenerative and mental illnesses. It is thus increasingly important for researchers to have easy access to a variety of brain tissues,” says Douglas Brain Bank Director and researcher, Naguib Mechawar, PhD.

“Study of these donated tissues enables investigators to study how the normal brain works, and how it is disturbed by mental illnesses or neurological diseases."

Brain donation can be a donation of hope

“Brain donation is a precious and ultimate gift that gives hope to future generations,” says Danielle Cécyre, coordinator of the Douglas Brain Bank.

“It is a relatively a simple procedure which can be initiated by signing a form that dedicates the donation of the brain.”

People (children, adults and seniors) interested in making a donation or obtaining more information about donations, can contact the Douglas at 514-761-6131, extension “0” and ask for the Brain Bank or visit the website at www.douglasrecherche.qc.ca There are no age restrictions to be a donor.

“We have an urgent need for brains that come from healthy individuals in order to compare them with others that have abnormalities. This being said, we also have a pressing need for brains that have been affected by neurological or mental disorders,” adds Cécyre.

Organ donors aren't automatically eligible

Because the brain will be used for scientific study, the signature on the bank of a Medicare card, which authorizes organ donations for transplant purposes only, doesn't qualify. Donors and their families must sign specific forms.

Founded in 1980, the Douglas’ Bank is the oldest in Canada and one of the two largest. It provides the scientific community with precious samples of brain tissues of optimal quality and preservation. Presently, the Brain Bank owns several hundreds of frozen brains.

It has allowed for researchers at the Douglas and elsewhere to make important scientific discoveries, most notably in the domains of schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis. Its creation was made possible due to a major financial investment, primarily from the Douglas Hospital Foundation. The Brain Bank is also subsidized by the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ).

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