Why Consider Brain Donation

Over 13 million Americans are living with a brain disease or disorder. To find treatments and cures, researchers must study the human brain. The Michigan Brain Bank allows individuals and families to contribute to this research effort.

Donated brains are collected and stored by the Michigan Brain Bank to help scientists worldwide advance the understanding of brain diseases and disorders. You can make a difference and help future generations by generously donating your brain to the Michigan Brain Bank.

When participants meet our eligibility requirements, there are no costs to donors or their families for autopsy and donation.

Medical clarity for the family

Brain autopsy, or examining the brain after death, has many benefits. For families, learning the precise cause of the patient’s illness may be a tremendous relief and help ease uncertainty and doubt. It gives relatives accurate information about the cause of symptoms and confirms or modifies the diagnosis made during life. Autopsy provides relatives with accurate information about their family’s medical history needed for their care and future generations.

Opportunity to contribute to the understanding of disease mechanisms and ongoing research

Brain autopsy results are becoming increasingly important as we learn more about Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Systems Atrophy, and other neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. It is likely to affect treatment recommendations for family members in the future. Additionally, when an autopsy is done, brain tissue is stored and may be available for additional studies even many years later.

Brain autopsies are an extremely important source of information about how the disease affects the brain's anatomy. This information is used to direct future research into the causes of memory loss, their progression over time, and clues about effective treatment approaches. For example, researchers recently found that a previously unrecognized abnormality in the brains of patients with dementia called Lewy bodies may be present in 40% of persons with Alzheimer’s disease and may account for some symptoms. We would never have learned this unless we conducted autopsies in addition to our clinical care. What we know about neurodegenerative disorders has only been possible because of the commitment of patients and families like you. Even if individual family members do not benefit directly from a brain autopsy, it can lead to a better understanding of neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders for future generations and provide an important measure to assess public health and quality of care.

Be sure to register in advance

For most people, the time immediately following the death of a family member is very difficult. It is not a good time to make important decisions such as this. It is best to decide whether or not to enroll for brain autopsy and donation well in advance, with less stress and with consideration for the wishes of the patient and family. As a result, we encourage you to contact our Michigan Brain Bank Coordinator to discuss the process and review the forms and documentation needed to participate well in advance. We are happy to answer any questions you may have.

More information and how to register

To learn more about the brain donation program, please contact Michigan Brain Bank Coordinator Matthew Perkins at [email protected] or 734-647-7648. Matthew is happy to discuss the process, work with your care provider, and align with your funeral arrangements. Please do not hesitate to get in touch.

The University of Michigan Brain Bank was founded by Professor Anne B. Young and Professor J. Penney to collect, store and distribute post-mortem brain tissues and associated clinical history. Established in 1982, the Michigan Brain Bank, in partnership with the Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (MADRC), now has approximately 1,500 paraffin and 1,100 frozen brains. The program currently has 560 registered living clinical research participants who have consented to donate after death. 

The Michigan Brain Bank has contributed to studies of many brain diseases, including studies of Alzheimer’s disease, Ataxia, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, ALS, and psychiatric diseases.  Active research programs include studies of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, Multiple Systems Atrophy, Parkinson’s disease, and bipolar disorder.   

The Brain Autopsy and Donation Program allows individuals and families to contribute to research. With the hope of developing pharmaceutical treatments and finding cures, the Brain Bank is committed to providing the scientific community with the brain tissues necessary to investigate the progression of neurological disease. Scientists worldwide contact the Michigan Brain Bank to access tissue and information. The Michigan Brain Bank carefully screens all proposals and only approves legitimate requests. The Brain Bank follows all applicable regulations and guidelines when procuring, storing, and distributing brain tissue. Appropriate consent is always obtained, and donor anonymity is maintained. 

More information can be found on the Michigan Brain Bank website.