Definite diagnosis of specific neurodegenerative processes that cause dementia requires a thorough neuropathological examination of the brain. Alzheimer's disease (AD), the predominant cause of dementia, is a heterogeneous clinico-pathological entity with large variation in neuropathologic changes that requires detailed characterization. The identification of genetic and environmental risk factors and their corresponding neuropathologic features will contribute to a comprehensive understanding of AD pathogenesis and help with design of preventive or therapeutic approaches. The function of the Neuropathology Core is to provide accurate neuropathologic diagnoses and clinico-pathological correlations, to maintain and expand the ADRC brain bank as a resource for investigators studying AD, and to participate in collaborative projects involving the use of brain bank material. To accomplish these goals, the Neuropathology Core will continue to 1) follow standardized protocols for brain dissection, processing, and storage; 2) issue a standardized report on each case following the newly- established recommendations from the National Institute on Aging and Reagan Institute; 3) follow the rapid autopsy protocol to obtain optimally- preserved brain tissue for various research purposes; 4) maintain a comprehensive database on all cases examined; 5) collaborate with investigators locally and nationally to assist with design and provide technical support for experiments using tissue from our brain bank, and to provide optimally-prepared tissue applicable to sophisticated neurobiological methods. In addition, the Neuropathology Core will continue to emphasize careful characterization of neuropathologic changes in patients with familial dementias, and collection of neuropathologic data from ADRC-affiliated epidemiologic-based cohort studies.
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