Neuropathology, Education & Research
Clinical Services
Neurosurgical specimens
- Diagnosis of primary and metastatic brain/spinal cord/skull base tumours, as well as non-neoplastic lesions (e.g. CNS vasculitis, encephalitis, vascular malformations) requiring neuropathological diagnosis.
- Highly integrated molecular neuropathology.
Muscle and nerve biopsies
- ~100-125 muscle biopsies are received annually for pathological diagnosis of neuromuscular disorders.
- Categories of diseases encountered include (but are not limited to): inflammatory myopathies and neuropathies, neurogenic myopathy, muscular dystrophies, and demyelinating neuropathies.
Neuro-autopsy
- Post-mortem examination remains the gold standard for diagnosis of many neurological diseases (e.g. Alzheimer's Disease, Multiple sclerosis, etc…) and highlights the preponderance of co-morbidities and clinically unsuspected diagnoses.
- Post-mortem examination is an important quality assurance tool that can be used to improve the quality of patient care, assess treatment efficacy and examine treatment mechanisms.
- Tissue can be donated for research and/or brain banking to encourage development of innovative treatments and diagnostic markers for rare and devastating neurological diseases. Please contact the Neuropathology Specialty Group for further details.
Forms and Protocols
- To request a nerve biopsy, follow this link: Nerve Biopsy Request Instructions
- To request a muscle biopsy, follow this link: Muscle Biopsy Request Instructions
- To request an autopsy, follow this link: Alberta Health Services Autopsy Consent and Consultation form
- To collect neuropathology specimens, follow these instructions: AP Neuropathology Nerve and Muscle Specimen Collection Tip Sheet
Education
We offer Neuropathology Clinical Rotations for:
- Postgraduate trainees:
- Residents from Adult Neurology, Pediatric Neurology, Neurosurgery, Anatomical/General Pathology.
- Elective resident/fellow rotations (by request).
- Undergraduate medical students: U of A medical students, visiting medical students.
U of A Courses: MLSCI250, LABMP400/500, LABMP593 and Neurology block (UGME).
Research
Current areas of active research include:
- Multiple sclerosis & white matter disease.
- Epilepsy.
- Neurodegenerative diseases.
- Brain tumours - molecular signatures of primary & metastatic brain tumours.
- Infectious neurological diseases.
- Vascular disease/stroke.
Refer to individual faculty pages for further information/updates regarding these research projects.