FREQUENCY OF NEUROPATHOLOGY IN A BRAIN BANK FROM A LONG-TERM, DOMICILIARY POPULATION

Postmortem analysis of brain chemistry and anatomy in the study of psy chiatric disorders has enjoyed renewed interest recently. There are my riad difficulties in establishing a brain bank, including proper diagn osis and confounding neuropathology. These difficulties may become mor e pronounced in a long-term domiciliary facility. In order to begin to address neuropathologic considerations, we performed neuropathologica l examinations on each patient included in our bank of 20 brains. Fort y-five per cent of all patients had significant and unexpected neuropa thology. Selection of patients to be included in postmortem studies re quires careful screening to enhance accurate neuropathological assessm ent.