How to run a brain bank—revisited

Abstract

The explosive developments in basic and clinical neuroscience are partly due to the progress and growth in the field of brain, tissue and biobanking (BTB-banking). In 1993, F.F. Cruz-Sanchez and E. Tolosa edited the first special issue on brain banking, ‘‘How to run a Brain Bank’’, published in the Journal of Neural Transmission. This issue was based on the experience of the first European network of brain banks (EBBN) supported by the European Community. In 2008, 15 years later, there is a need for a serious update and screening of the major advances in this field. This issue brings together the perspectives of active brain bankers who have the knowledge, experience and expertise of the potentials and pitfalls of brain banking. The present special issue comprises eight chapters dealing with the golden standards of brain banking. Each contributor was invited to present the specific aspects of their brain bank, both on the organizational and methodological level and to give the reader a short glance into the daily practice of brain banks, collecting, handling, and storing specimens for high quality and modern clinical and basic research. We want this issue to reflect the current state-ofthe-art in modern global brain banking and have invited contributions from various parts of the world; Australia, Brazil, Germany, New Zealand, Spain, The Netherland and the USA. The papers presented here report methodological, managerial and organizational procedures, standard operating procedures (SOP’s), legal and ethical issues, including the Code of Conduct for 21st century brain banking as well as novel protocols of brain banks to attend the current needs of the scientific community. The global decline in autopsy rates is a worrying situation which makes well operating and efficient R. Ravid (&) Senior scientist/advisor on Brain banking Netherlands Institute for Neurosciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands e-mail: R.Ravid@nin.knaw.nl