Brits use brain power to help find cure for Parkinson’s

A nationwide appeal for people to donate their brains to research and help discover a cure for Parkinson’s disease has seen more than double the expected number of people register.

The Brain Donor Appeal was launched in April for the 40th anniversary of the Parkinson’s Disease Society (PDS) in an attempt to combat a desperate shortage of brains needed for research into a cure for the disease which affects one in 500 people in the UK.

Barely 1,000 people across the entire country had registered to donate their brain to the Parkinson’s Brain Bank prior to the campaign and the charity’s aim was to double that number to 2000 by the end of 2009.

The actual result smashed the target with more than double the hoped number of Britons registering. More than 3,375 people have now signed up to donate their brains to the Brain Bank. However, there is still a need for more people to sign up as there is still a clear lack of donors from certain groups. In particular, the PDS is calling for those with early onset of Parkinson’s to come forward and sign up to the register, as well as more men.

But there is also hope that 5,960 people who requested donor packs but are yet to fully register will do so. Anyone who has yet to request a pack or has received a pack but hasn’t yet responded can still sign up to the Brain Donor Appeal and make a massive contribution to research.

Today's neuro-imaging techniques are limited, and research using donated human brain tissue has led to important medical breakthroughs such as the development of anti-Parkinson's drugs.

A host of celebrities including Jane Asher - who is President of the Parkinson's Disease Society, broadcaster Jeremy Paxman and GMTV presenter John Stapleton are among a number of well known Parkinson's Brain Donor Appeal supporters.

For more information, visit parkinsons.org.uk/brainbank.