What You need to know: Questions to ask the brain bank:: What is the criteria for donating? Do you have to be a patient at that facility/university/clinic? Does the brain bank accept - Parkinson disease, PSP, CBD, Alzheimer's, normal, cancer, other brains? Who should donate? Is there a geographic requirement? Does the family receive a postmortem autopsy report? How soon after the autopsy does the next of kin receive the autopsy report? What is the procedure for brain donaiton - forms to be filled out, where is autposy performed, how does body go to this place, who performs the autopsy? Who pays for the harvest and transport to brain bank Where will the brain harvest take place How long after death before the brain is removed Is there a cost? Find out how much does it cost? Cost of transportation to facility where autopsy is performed, cost of autopsy, cost of facility where autopsy is performed, cost of harvester, other hidden costs? How is the brain bank funded? How will the brain be used? Is there any disfiguration? Can the family still have an open casket at the funeral? What forms have to be completed? Who can sign for someone else's donation What disqualifies a brain donation Can other organs be donated at the same time / for research or transplantation? Will other donation agreements be enough for brain donation? Is brain donation the same as tissue or organ donation Just checking the donor card on the driver's license is not enough - typicallly donor card is for organ transplantation -it usually does not include brain donation for research.