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Related Experiment Videos

Biochemical and molecular studies using human autopsy brain tissue.

Matthew R Hynd1, Joanne M Lewohl, Heather L Scott

  • 1Department of Biochemistry, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

Journal of Neurochemistry
|April 16, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Human autopsy brain tissue is valuable for neurochemical studies, with nucleic acids and proteins remaining stable post-mortem. Controlling pre- and post-mortem factors is crucial for accurate brain disease research.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Human autopsy brain tissue is essential for neurochemical, pharmacological, and physiological research.
  • Molecular techniques like RT-PCR and proteomics enable expression profiling of RNA and proteins from autopsy samples.
  • The application of these techniques to brain disease studies is growing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the utility of human autopsy brain tissue for molecular analyses.
  • To discuss factors influencing the stability and integrity of nucleic acids and proteins post-mortem.
  • To highlight considerations for sampling and interpreting data from autopsy brain tissue.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on molecular analyses of post-mortem human brain tissue.

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  • Discussion of techniques including RT-PCR, cDNA microarrays, western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and proteomics.
  • Analysis of ante-mortem and post-mortem factors affecting tissue integrity.

    • Main Results:

    • RNA and protein samples from autopsy brain tissue are suitable for expression profiling.
    • Most nucleic acids and proteins exhibit reasonable stability post-mortem.
    • Significant intra- and inter-case variability in abundance and integrity exists, impacting group comparisons.

    Conclusions:

    • Human autopsy brain tissue can yield valid data for various molecular parameters.
    • Controlling factors such as age, gender, medical history, and post-mortem interval is critical.
    • Careful consideration of pre- and post-mortem variables ensures reliable neurochemical data interpretation.