Autopsy Neuropathology

The Autopsy Neuropathology Service at UCSF offers timely and comprehensive diagnostic services using postmortem brain tissues procured through autopsy. We work very closely with many colleagues in the clinical neuroscience community at UCSF and our expertise covers a wide range of brain disorders, including neurodevelopmental diseases,  dysmyelinating and demyelinating disorders, inflammatory and infectious diseases, metabolic encephalopathies, cerebrovascular diseases, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and neurodegenerative diseases. The standard work-up for autopsy neuropathology cases includes H&E examinations in more than 10 different regions in brain and spinal cord. For cases that require additional analyses, we will examine disease-relevant regions in brain and spinal cord, and perform a battery of immunohistopathological stains and transmission electron microscopy to reach the diagnoses.

In addition to providing services to patients who receive care from UCSF Medical Center, we have extensive experience working with physicians outside the UCSF network, coroner’s office, and patient’s family to provide fee-based diagnostic services. The specific arrangement will be done on a case-by-case basis. 

Here is a list of representative disease entities covered by our service:

Neurodevelopmental Diseases (in collaboration with the UCSF Pediatric Neuropathology Research Lab and the Newborn Brain Research Institute)

Fetal and prenatal neural development
Germinal matrix hemorrhage
Congenital malformations
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy
Developmental disorders affecting white matter
Hydrocephalus

Dysmyelinating and demyelinating disorders (in collaboration with the UCSF Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroinflammation Center)

Leukodystrophy
Multiple sclerosis
Neuromyelitis optica

Cerebrovascular diseases

Infarcts and hemorrhages
Vasculitis and other vasculopathy
Vascular malformations

Neurodegenerative diseases (in collaboration with the UCSF Neurodegenerative Brain Bank at the Memory and Aging Center)

Alzheimer’s disease
Frontotemporal lobar degeneration
Parkinson’s disease
Diffuse Lewy body dementia
Multisystem atrophy
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Vascular dementia