Brain Protein Preservation Largely Depends on the Postmortem Storage Temperature: Implications for Study of Proteins in Human Neurologic Diseases and Management of Brain Banks: A BrainNet Europe Study

Gel electrophoresis and Western blotting of sarkosyl-insoluble fractions in Alzheimer disease showed reduced intensity of phospho-tau-specific bands with postmortem delay with the effects being more dramatic when the brain samples were stored at room temperature for long periods, emphasizing the necessity of reducing the body temperature after death to minimize protein degradation.