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Procedures for Brain Donation
We appreciate your interest in providing a brain donation to the
Northwestern Alzheimer’s Disease Center (NADC). Direct research
on the human brain remains a very important part of progress in
understanding and treating Alzheimer’s disease. Much of what
we know, so far, about Alzheimer’s has come from donations
from other families who have coped with this disease.
Planning ahead
- Please contact us if you have any questions before the patient passes away.
Staff of the Northwestern Alzheimer's Disease Center are available
at 312-926-1851, Monday-Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
- Ensure that you have a funeral home in mind, and let them know
of your plans for brain donation. We have an information page
for you to provide to your funeral home.
When the patient dies
- Please call our 24-hour line at 773-495-2982.
- Legal autopsy permission. After the death, the NADC autopsy
coordinator will have you provide a "legal telephone consent
for autopsy". Notify Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Office
of Medical Records (312-926-3375) of your consent for a brain
removal or brain autopsy on your relative. Overnight from 10 p.m.
to 7:00 a.m. call 312-926-2000, and ask for the administrator
on duty, who handles overnight autopsy consents (or wait until
7:00 am).
- Death certificate. The Illinois Medical Examiner requires us
to have a death certificate signed by your Family MD (or we must
contact him) before a brain removal for medical research. Your
funeral home will work with you to expedite obtaining a completed
family doctor's death certificate.
- Transportation. The autopsy coordinator will also work with
your funeral home to arrange transport to and from the hospital.
Transportation costs will be shared by the family and the CNADC.
The brain donation is performed on a seven-day-per-week basis,
usually between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm.
We have also prepared information pages that are useful for a nursing
home medical chart and for a funeral home. If your loved one is
in a nursing home, or if you have selected a funeral home, please
provide these forms to them or inform us, so we can forward the
appropriate information page to these facilities.
For more information, contact the Memory Research team at 312-926-1851 or
at memoryresearch@northwestern.edu
Related Information
Brain Donation: Making the Decision
Information for Participants
Funeral Home Information
Nursing Home Information
Visit our Volunteer
For A Study page. If you would like to participate in a research
study and/or clinical trial, please contact us at 312-926-1851 or
by e-mail at memoryresearch@northwestern.edu
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