Nimhans gets brain of patient with Huntington’s disease

Bengaluru: In what could give a fillip to research on Huntington’s disease (HD) in the country, the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Nimhans) received its first HD patient’s brain on Feb 9.

Details of the 62-year-old Bengaluru-based donor have been withheld at the request of the family.

Confirming to TOI that this is the first HD patient’s brain at the Nimhans brain bank, Anita Mahadevan, professor and HOD of neuropathology, said, “This gives a great fillip to HD research. So far, everything else, for instance — blood samples — was used to mirror what happens in the brain to understand the disease. But now, we’ll have actual brain tissue to work with.”

HD is a neurological degenerative disorder that affects the patient’s ability to think, move and emote and can cause psychiatric issues.

“One of the reasons for low brain donations in the past … was that bereaved families had to be convinced. But now most families are aware of the importance of donation for research. Yet, a setback comes in the form of a lack of active autopsy centres for taking out the brain and willingness to do it 24x7. The deceased HD patient was brought in at 11pm on Feb 9, and was operated on till past midnight,” Anita said.

Dr Nikhil Ratna, postdoc scholar in neurology at the University of Washington, and founding member and vice-chairman of Huntington’s Disease Society of India (HDSI), said, “Brain donation is a great cause to help research to understand Huntington’s disease and find a cure. Animal models of the disease have some shortcomings. So patients’ brains give the most direct evidence.”

The donor’s son said, “Dr Nikhil told us that with the custom we follow, we don’t get the brain of an HD patient for research. I discussed it with my mother. Until her last breath, her cognitive abilities were good, although she had psychiatric issues. She had an idea about what she wanted to eat, her bank account and the pension she got. She was happy to be part of the brain donation for research. I don’t expect miracles to happen in the near future, but over time I hope it will motivate others to donate brains that are useful for research on HD.”

Venkateswara Rao Koushik, scientist G, ADA, the spouse of an HD patient and founding member of HDSI, said, “A lot needs to be done to eradicate the disease. HD should be included in the rare diseases list.”