UCL Institute of Neurology

• The division provides a speedy, high quality diagnostic service to The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, which is a national tertiary referral centre for all neurological diseases. Samples are delivered, by porter or pneumatic tube, directly from theatres or the wards and the results are transmitted electronically to the electronic patient record, which are accessible from all computers in the UCLH Trust by consultants and wards, providing an efficient neuropathology service to the clinicians.
• Provision of high profile research
• Provision of a modern teaching programme for medical students and postgraduates.
• Provision of a full mortuary and post-mortem service.
• The Department of Neuropathology has particular expertise in neuro-oncology, neurodegenerative diseases, epilepsy, inflammatory diseases of the CNS, prion diseases, peripheral nerve and adult and paediatric muscle.

• Surgical Neuropathology
• Brain biopsy for neurological diagnosis
• Post mortem examinations including Prion disease.
• Post mortem examinations of Dementia: Queen Square Brain Bank
• Muscle Pathology
• Paediatric muscle pathology
• Peripheral nerve pathology
• CSF Cytology
• Genetic testing of brain tumours

• Cut-up, processing and paraffin sectioning
• Smear preparation frozen sectioning
• Cytospin
• Serum titrations for antineuronal antibodies
• Immunohistochemistry
• Muscle pathology: special stains, Histochemistry and IHC
• DNA extraction, real time PCR
• Peripheral Nerve pathology, teased fibres, semithin sections
• Electron microscopy

• Two modern Herasafe Biosafety Class II cabinets for cut-up and dissection of all tissues and fluids
• Three cryostats, five microtones for paraffin sections
• Two tissue processors
• Chemical safety weighing cabinet
• Large open-plan downdraft working area for solvents and special stains
• LEICA autostainer and Coverslipper
• Four LEICA Bondmax automated immunostaining instruments
• TaqMan Real time PCR thermocycler
• Conventional PCR thermocycler
• Three transmission electron microscopes, with digital cameras and one scanning electron microscope.
• Fully equipped electron microscopy laboratory.

2009/2010