Charity calls for brain donors
The charity has called for more people to donate their brains
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Monday, 20, Apr 2009 12:16
Potential brain donors are being encouraged to come forward by a charity which needs the organs for its research into finding a cure for Parkinson's disease.
Presenter Jeremy Paxman and actor Jane Asher have already agreed to donate their brains to the Parkinson's Disease Society.
The charity is suffering from a shortage of brains for their scientists to work on and they have launched the brain donor appeal in a bid to double the number of people on their register.
Mr Paxman told the Guardian: "Hard to imagine anyone might want your old brain, isn't it? But it's not as if you'll be needing it yourself.
Ms Asher, president of the Parkinson's disease society and whose brother-in-law suffers from the disease, said: ""I've visited the Parkinson's brain bank and seen what fantastic work is going on there.
"It's vital that we secure more potential donors as this will help us move closer to a cure for what can be a debilitating and distressing condition."
Despite 120,000 Parkinson's sufferers in the UK, and one in three people surveyed for the charity saying they know someone affected by the disease, the same poll found only seven per cent were comfortable with the idea of donating their brain. This compares with nearly two thirds of people who say they would be prepared to donate their heart.