About the Brain and Biologic Studies of Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center

Who we are

• Funded by the National Institutes of Health for the past 28 years, our research center’s postmortem human brain studies have already led to a better understanding of the relationship between the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and the chemical structural changes in the brain that cause them. Today’s FDA-approved drugs for the treatment of AD and other dementias were developed based in part on brain and behavior research conducted at Mount Sinai.

Our goal

• We are committed to fighting AD and other diseases of aging by understanding their causes, developing new treatments, and ultimately, finding a cure.
• An important way of understanding the root cause(s) of AD and dementia is through the direct study of the brain.
• It is a core mission of our team to provide information about brain tissue donation, in the hopes that more people will partner with us in our efforts to fight these devastating diseases.

Why brain tissue donation is so important

• To date, definitive diagnosis of AD can be made only after highly specialized postmortem examination of the brain. Therefore, each opportunity to confirm (or refute) the diagnosis enhances a physician’s ability to identify the condition accurately in living patients.
• An issue for families who have faced diseases such as AD is the possibility that the disease may be passed from one generation to the next. For these families, participation in the brain tissue donation program provides the opportunity to obtain definitive diagnostic confirmation.
• Our ability to develop new and more effective treatments for diseases of aging such as AD depends on the study of the brain of affected persons, which can only happen through the participation of individuals and their families in brain tissue donation/autopsy programs.
• It is also critically important to be able to study the brain tissue of individuals with no memory or other cognitive problems. This allows scientists to compare normal and abnormal brain tissue, which will lead to a greater understanding of factors that may protect the brain from disease in aging.

How you can help

• We believe that brain tissue donation studies are necessary in order to develop treatments and ultimately find a cure for AD and related disorders.
• We recognize that participation in our Brain Tissue Donation Program is a highly personal decision that is not arrived at lightly or easily. But for those who choose to make this priceless contribution to benefit future generations, we would respectfully like to express our most profound gratitude.
• Should you be interested in learning more about our program, we would be happy to meet with you personally. It is important to keep in mind that brain tissue donation does not result in disfigurement, does not impede funeral arrangements, and does not incur cost to the donor or their families.