The goals of the Brain Bank Core are 1) to increase the number and quality of postmortem human brain specimens available for the study of schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders through funded research protocols at the University of Pittsburgh and other institutions; 2) to address the important potential confounds associated with psychotropic medication exposure by the use of a three-fold strategy that includes cohorts of nonhuman primates who have been exposed to these medications in a manner that mimics clinical use; and 3) to facilitate the application of robust quantitative methods to the study of the postmortem human brain. In support of these goals, the Brain Bank Core will identify, recover, assess and distribute postmortem human brain specimens from subjects with schizophrenia and matched normal control and nonschizophrenic psychiatric comparison subjects. For all subjects, DSM-IV diagnoses are made by an independent committee of experienced clinicians (see Clinical Services Core-C) at a case conference utilizing information obtained from clinical records, toxicology and neuropathology exams, the Coroner's report, and a standardized psychological autopsy. The latter incorporates a structured interview, conducted with family members of the index case, to assess diagnosis, psychopathology, medical, developmental, social and family history, medication history and handedness. All data regarding both clinical features and available brain tissue are stored in a database managed by the Statistics and Data Management Core-D that is accessible to Center investigators. The Brain Bank Core also maintains and distributes tissue from monkeys chronically exposed to psychotropic medications. The Brain Bank Core supports the postmortem studies proposed in Projects 1-Lewis and 2-Mirnics in the CCNMD, as well as a number of other studies funded through other mechanisms.
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