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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Symmetric Bihemispheric Postmortem Brain Cutting to Study Healthy and Pathological Brain Conditions in Humans

Symmetric Bihemispheric Postmortem Brain Cutting to Study Healthy and Pathological Brain Conditions in Humans

Published on: December 18, 2016

Metabolic and functional studies on post-mortem human brain.

J A Hardy¹, P R Dodd

¹MRC Neuroendocrinology Unit, Newcastle General Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 6BE, U.K.

Neurochemistry International

|May 22, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Human brain tissue from autopsies can yield metabolically active preparations for in vitro studies, even after significant post-mortem delays. This opens new avenues for understanding brain disorders and drug actions.

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Last Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Symmetric Bihemispheric Postmortem Brain Cutting to Study Healthy and Pathological Brain Conditions in Humans

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Published on: December 18, 2016

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High-resolution Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Human Subcortex In Vivo and Postmortem

High-resolution Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Human Subcortex In Vivo and Postmortem

Published on: December 30, 2015

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Biochemistry
Pathology

Background:

Human brain tissue obtained at autopsy is a potential source for cellular and subcellular preparations.
Previous studies using animal brain models support the viability of post-mortem tissue for research.
Key tissue components like enzymes and receptors show remarkable post-mortem stability.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the evidence supporting the use of human autopsy brain tissue for in vitro functional studies.
To assess the feasibility and challenges of using post-mortem human brain for metabolic and functional assays.
To highlight the potential of dynamic studies for investigating human brain disorders and drug mechanisms.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on post-mortem brain tissue viability and stability.
Analysis of data from animal model experiments using brain tissue.
Examination of post-mortem stability of critical cellular components (enzymes, receptors, nucleic acids).

Main Results:

Active cellular and subcellular preparations can be isolated from human autopsy brain tissue, even up to 24 hours post-mortem.
Frozen tissue pieces also yield metabolically and functionally active preparations.
Post-mortem stability of key tissue components supports the retention of cellular integrity.

Conclusions:

Human autopsy brain tissue is a viable resource for in vitro functional studies, offering insights into brain disorders.
Dynamic functional experiments with autopsy material present manageable challenges, comparable to static analyses.
This approach enables novel research into the mechanisms of human brain disorders and the efficacy of neuroactive drugs in humans.