Army Establishes Brain Tissue Repository to Study TBI

The Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences at Bethesda, Maryland is now the scene of the world’s first brain tissue depository that will be dedicated to furthering research into traumatic brain injury treatment.

The Brain Tissue Repository for Traumatic Brain Injury has been established via a grant from the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command. The brain tissue repository will act as a brain tissue bank where samples can be used to further study traumatic brain injury. Currently, a lot of research which is being conducted by the Pentagon on traumatic brain injury uses imaging scans and other material, but the fact is that very often, researchers do need access to brain tissue in order to further study the impact of trauma, and the cause of the injury.

The researchers hope that families of veterans, who have been killed as a result of brain injury, will come forward to donate the brains of their family members in order to further research in this area. In fact, Army officers are suggesting that veterans discuss the option of donating their brains to research in the event of their death, with their family members.

The Army plans to use the brain tissue to study the causes of brain injury involving veterans, and also brain diseases like Alzheimer’s disease. There is a vast scope for research into brain injury, and the Brain Tissue Repository for Traumatic Brain Injury will have access to the resources necessary for conducting this research. The researchers are specifically looking for answers to some questions, like what happens at the exact moment that the brain is exposed to a blast, and what does the brain do to help repair damage.