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Article: WHAT MAKES THESE BRAINS DIFFERENT? SCHIZOPHRENIA RESEARCHERS FOCUSING ON STRUCTURAL AND BIOCHEMICAL ABNORMALITIES
- Article from:
- The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)
- Article date:
- August 31, 1987
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1987 The Boston Globe. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Second of two parts
In a basement lab at McLean Hospital, technicians open a
Styrofoam carton filled with dry ice and remove a grayish, wrinkled
lump the size of a grapefruit.
It is a human brain, donated to the hospital's brain bank by
the family of someone who was afflicted with severe mental illness.
Brains of schizophrenia victims are in highest demand.
Technicians will weigh the organ, measure it, slice it, stain
samples for microscopic examination, chemically analyze and store
the resulting bits in a large freezer. A scientist can order
specimens from any of 75 areas of each brain, accompanied by the
deceased patient's medical history.
The donated brains reflect ...