Brain Bank

The Brain Bank, as part of the Center for Healthy Aging, was established to aid researchers in the advancement of knowledge and understanding of brain aging and aging-related neurodegenerative diseases. The human brain makes us the human being. To determine the features of human brain disorders, the study of human brains is of great importance. Through donations, the Brain Bank serves as a repository of brain tissue from donors who are diagnosed with neurodegenerative disease, including but not limited to Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, Parkinson’s diseases, stroke, vascular cognitive impairment, as well as those who are free of neurological disorder.

The gratitude of the Center for Healthy Aging to those who donated their brains to research cannot be overstated. It is through analysis of such tissue that our researchers will develop a better understanding of the cellular and molecular changes that occur in neurodegenerative diseases and provide insight into the development of new diagnostic methods and therapeutic strategies.

Dr. Shaohua Yang, Ph.D., leads this endeavor of procuring, processing, and distributing this precious brain tissue to researchers at UNTHSC.