Brain Bank for Aging Research– For Future Generations

Brain Bank for Aging Research ；BBAR

I am Yuko Sato, and I have served as the Director of Brain Bank for Aging Research since 2020. In my previous position at National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP), which has closely collaborated with our brain bank, I led the NCNP Brain Bank as the director and also headed the Brain Bank Network centered around that institution.
This brain bank was established in 1991 by my predecessor, Shigeo Murayama, who currently serves as a full-time specially appointed professor at the United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University. Since its founding, the bank has developed a research framework for intractable diseases and began pre-registration of donors in 2010.
In Western countries, brain donation registration before death has long been practiced by individuals ranging from those suffering from intractable diseases to healthy individuals. This is driven by their wish to contribute to medical research after their passing, and the practice is often referred to as a “Gift of Hope.” Similarly, our pre-registration system is founded on the same philosophy—the idea of offering a gift of hope to future generations who may suffer from the same illnesses.
Although it began as a grassroots initiative, our steady efforts over the years have gradually borne fruit, contributing to the advancement of research on various diseases and aging. For example, at the newly established Integrated Research Initiative for Living Well with Dementia (IRIDE) within our institute, we are working toward overcoming dementia in collaboration with other universities and research institutions, building on the achievements and research outcomes of our brain bank.
We will continue our efforts to contribute to medicine by honoring the goodwill and generosity of patients, their families, and all those who have supported us.