Brains for dementia research

Answer: We are often asked whether BDR can take the brain for dementia research and the rest of the body be used for other kinds of research.  Unfortunately (except at Newcastle which has an arrangement with the anatomy department to use brain and body donors for surgical training), this is not possible as medical schools and other institutions do not want a body without a brain. Also, it is usually too logistically difficult to arrange both brain and body donation, especially when time is of the essence.

 However, it is possible to bequeath your brain to BDR and other organs for transplant. If you are on the national organ donor scheme and carry a donor card, then you can also register with BDR to donate your brain.  It is important to note that there are still potential logistic problems with multiple organ donations, and there is no guarantee that any given organ will definitely be donated. Also, the older a person is when they die the less useful are their organs for transplant, whereas almost the reverse is true for the brain.