After paraformaldehyde fixation and post-mortem imaging, the fixed hemisphere is cut into 1 cm slabs, photographed and tissue blocks are dissected from specified brain regions (including hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, midfrontal cortex, superior frontal cortex, inferior temporal cortex, middle temporal cortex, inferior parietal cortex, primary occipital cortex, anterior basal ganglia, anterior thalamus, and midbrain) and paraffin embedded for subsequent histochemistry and immunocytochemistry. Gross features and pathology (e.g., atrophy, cerebrovascular disease) are described at the time of blocking, and blocks are obtained from all areas of visible pathology (e.g., infarcts, tumors) from direct observation or from the digital photographs. The remainder of the brain is transferred to a graded cryoprotectant solution (final solution of 20% glycerol and 2% DMSO in phosphate buffer) for long term storage at 4°C.
