Overview

A Bird's-Eye View of NIMHANS Brain Bank

How donations are received, processed, preserved, and made useful for neuroscience research.

Step 1: Family call and documents

Brain Bank staff receive calls from bereaved families and provide assistance for arranging transport to the NIMHANS mortuary for postmortem.

Copy of death certificate from a registered medical practitioner
Medical records of the patient
Brain donation card, if previously registered
Photo ID proof of the deceased and proof of relationship of the relative signing consent

Step 2: At NIMHANS mortuary

Relatives are briefed on the procedure, documents are scrutinised, and first-degree relatives sign the informed consent form for postmortem and brain donation. The postmortem usually takes 1 to 1.5 hours from receipt of the deceased.

The body is handed back to relatives with due respect for final rites and rituals
Care is taken to ensure there is no disfigurement
The body is washed and handed over draped in a clean white cloth

Step 3: Documents after postmortem

After completion of postmortem, the family should collect the relevant documents from the mortuary.

Acknowledgement form for brain/spinal cord donation
Copy of signed informed consent
Death certificate, original

Step 4: Following donation

The Brain Bank sends follow-up documents and updates to the donor family.

Thanksgiving letter and certificate of donation
Postmortem report, upon request
Annual update on Brain Bank activities