Rodrigo Chiavaro da Fonseca
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Title: Frequency of brain tissue donation for research after suicide
Biography
Biography: Rodrigo Chiavaro da Fonseca
Abstract
Obtaining central nervous system tissue is essential for neurobiological research in mental health. There is a growing demand for the availability of human brain tissue, with greater interest in using these tissues for investigation of basic biological processes associated with mental illness. In the current scenario, however, brain tissue biobanks dedicated to psychiatric disorders are extremely scarce. Little is known about organ donation for research. The main reasons and facilitators found for donation to biobanks are: 1) the desire to help others; 2) open dialogue within the family about the organ donation process; and 3) a desire to contribute to medical progress.Our objective is to describe the frequency of brain tissue donation for research purposes by families of individuals that committed suicide.We included all requests for brain tissue donation to a brain biorepository made to the families of individuals aged 18-60 years who had committed suicide between March 2014 and February 2016. Cases presenting with brain damage due to acute trauma were excluded.Fifty-six cases of suicide were reported. Of these, 24 fulfilled the exclusion criteria, and 11 others were excluded because no next of kin was found to provide informed consent. Of the 21 remaining cases, brain tissue donation was authorized in nine (tissue fragments in seven and the entire organ in two). The sample was composed mainly of men, with a mean age of 39 years. Those responsible for providing informed consent were most often siblings, followed by the children of the tissue donor