Latest developments in the microarray analysis of human brain mRNA

Microarrays are used to monitor the expression of thousands of gene transcripts. This technique requires high-quality RNA, which can be extracted from a variety sources, including autopsy brain tissue. Most nucleic acids and proteins are reasonably stable post mortem. However, their abundance and integrity can exhibit marked intraand inter-subject variability, so care must be taken when comparisons between case-groups are made. We will review issues associated with the sampling of RNA from autopsy brain tissue in relation to various ante- and post-mortem factors.