Functions of the Neuropathology Core

The Neuropathology Core performs prompt autopsies on patients followed in our Clinical Core, for the purpose of obtaining postmortem brains and other tissues for diagnosis and for research purposes. We strive for short (<5 h) postmortem intervals. Characterization and diagnosis of postmortem brain tissues is accomplished using standard gross and histological examinations, appropriate special stains, and immunohistochemical procedures.
We seek to provide researchers with high-quality, clinically correlated laboratory data and tissue samples according to the state-of-the-science standards in the national AD Centers program. This includes 23 standardized paraffin tissue blocks, corresponding contralateral unfixed tissue samples that are dissected fresh and flash-frozen at the time of autopsy, and blood and cerebrospinal fluid from autopsied patients. In addition to histological and immunohistochemical characterizations performed on fixed and embedded tissues during diagnostic work-up, unfixed tissues are characterized biochemically, including preliminary analysis of suitability for isolation and characterization of RNA and DNA. We genotype archived cases for ApoE alleles and for interleukin-1 polymorphisms.
The Neuropathology Core cooperates with the Education and Information Transfer Core and the Clinical Core to further community education about the need for autopsy and raise awareness and participation rates of autopsy.
We seek to continue and expand our local, national, and international collaborative investigations of AD using tissues from the UAMS ADCC Neuropathology Core.