NIMHANS

Neuropathology

Department of

 Neuropathology 

Clinical Services

The services includes Histopathology laboratory, Autopsy services, Electron Microscopy Laboratory and Transfusion Medicine Center.

Brain Bank

Human Brain Tissue Repository (HBTR or Brain Bank) (with special reference to pathological states) was started with the financial support of DST, DBT and ICMR as National Facility to promote research in Neurobiology using human nervous tissues. The brain tissues collected with informed consent of close relatives within 4-24 hours following death are frozen for Biochemical, Immuno-histochemical and Molecular Biological studies. Large number of formalin fixed brain tissues from various Neurological, Neurosurgical and Psychiatric disorders are also available for study.

A related news report Link:
India's only Brain Bank needs more Grey Matter

Research

Department has been carrying out interdepartmental and inter-institutional collaborations in the following areas:

• Infections of Nervous system
• Neuro AIDS and Viral Encephalitis
• Pathology of Developmental disorders
• Neuromuscular disorders
• Neuro Oncology

Contributions

• Detailed neuropathological studies on Japanese, HSV, Rabies, HIV and other viral Encephalitides. Pathology of Neurotuberculosis with special reference to involvement of hypothalamus and brainstem and its relation to sudden death.
• Study of cytoskeletal pathology in normal ageing, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, ALS and FTLD-tau. Descriptive Epidemiology of CJD in India.
• Established routine diagnostic laboratory for Myopathology (including Histochemistry, Immunohistochemistry and Ultrastructural study). Research on Mitochondrial myopathies, Limb-girdle Muscular Dystrophies and Congenital Myopathies. Pathology of Leprous Neuropathy and Metachromatic leukodystophy.
• Biology of Lafora body disease, Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis and other metabolic disorders.
• Neuro-Oncology research correlating gene signatures with clinical outcome of astrocytomas and identification of potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets
• Provides referral specialized neuropathology diagnostic services for interpretation of tumor, neuroinfections, muscle and nerve biopsies from other parts of India.

Future Plans

• Establishing Diagnostic Molecular biology facility for Neuro- Oncology and Neuroinfections
• Biomarkers for early diagnosis of Brain Tumors and Neuro-infections
• Molecular genetics in Neuromuscular disorders
• Brain/Tissue/Fluid bank for Neurobiology research.