Parkinson’s Charity asks for Brain Donations
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Pledging brains to scientific research could help find a cure for Parkinson’s Disease.
A UK charity is appealing to members of the public to pledge their brains to scientific research after they have died in order that scientists can try and find a cure for Parkinson’s disease.
Today is the first day of Parkinson’s Awareness Week and commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Parkinson’s Disease Society (PDS). In a bid to raise the public profile of the charity and the degenerative disease, the PDS is asking for brain donations to aid its research.
The charity is in desperate need of brains in order to better understand the disease and further develop research which could eventually lead to a cure. Currently only 1,000 brains have been pledged, but the PDS is hopeful that through a concerted media effort this week, they can double the number of brains promised to their cause.
Parkinson’s Disease has stricken household names such as actor Michael J Fox and legendary boxer Muhammad Ali; brain donation could go a long way to helping future sufferers.
The scheme itself works much the same as organ donation which has grown in popularity over the last few years. Donors can volunteer to pledge their bodies to scientific research and specify which organs they are willing to have removed after death. Currently the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, pancreas and intestines can all be used either for medical research or in organ transplants; the PDS is now asking for donors to go one step further and offer their brains as well.
President of the PDS, Jane Asher said on the PDS website: “Scientific research on brains both with and without Parkinson’s is essential. It’s vital that we secure more potential donors as this will help us move closer to a cure for what can be a debilitating and distressing condition.”
Parkinson’s disease is chronic neurological disease which affects the motor functions of the body, impairing movement and speech. The disease affects four million people worldwide, and one in every 500 people in the UK.
“I’ve visited the Parkinson’s Brain Bank and seen what fantastic work is going on there,” commented Ms Asher, “Now we need a greater awareness of the benefits of brain donation so that more people come forward to register with us.”
For more information on brain donations, please visit the PDS website here.
