BDR (Brains for Dementia Research)

Living in the UK. Willingness to register for brain donation, and take part in widely used clinical and psychometric measures until the time for brain donation comes. People with a diagnosis of dementia or MCI can register at any age, and those with no diagnosis of memory impairment can register from 65 years old. Exclusion criteria are largely practical and related to the suitability of the donated brain tissue for research. This includes a diagnosis that indicates another brain bank might be more suitable, such as multiple sclerosis. Pre-existing conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, brain tumours (including previous radiotherapy treatment to the head), major strokes, aneurysms, and other significant cerebrovascular incidents, can mean a person may not be an ideal ‘control’, or the brain structure is significantly changed. Infections such as meningitis, encephalitis, HIV, prion disease pose an infection risk to all coming in contact with the tissue, so also prevent brain donation.