About the Netherlands Brain Bank

The Netherlands Brain Bank (NBB) is a non-profit organization that collects human brain tissue of donors with a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders, but also of non-diseased donors. This brain tissue, together with an anonymized summary of a donor’s medical record, is sent to scientific researchers worldwide, with the ultimate aim of increasing our understanding of the human brain and to develop therapies for neurological and psychiatric diseases.

The NBB adheres to an open access policy and researchers from all over the world can request samples. A scientific committee reviews all applications based on scientific quality and feasibility.

Brain donors sign up to the NBB donor program during life. After the donor’s demise, the body is rapidly transported to VU university medical center (VUmc), where the autopsy takes place within 4-10 hours. The tissue is dissected according to the clinical diagnosis and preferences of the researchers. This rapid procedure ensures brain tissue of high quality.