NISAD (Neuroscience Institute of Schizophrenia and Allied Disorders) with the Network for Brain Research into Mental Disorders have established a Tissue Resource Centre (TRC) at the University of Sydney to help researchers to access human brain tissue. The aim of the TRC is to provide high quality fixed and frozen material that is well characterized clinically and pathologically. The TRC is currently focusing on schizophrenia and allied disorders, Alzheimer's disease, alcoholism and motor neuron disease.

Affiliated Scientists

	Professor Clive Harper Head, Department of Pathology, 1987-1991, 1995 -1997 Foundation Professor of Neuropathology, University of Sydney and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, 1986 Neuropathologist, Royal Perth Hospital, 1972 - 1985 Clinical Lecturer in Pathology, University of Western Australia, 1974 - 1985 Medical Director, Australian Brain Foundation (WA Div.), 1981 - 1985 Post-graduate Fellow in Neuropathology, University of Pennsylvania, 1979 - 1980 Medecin Assistant, Division Anatomy de Neuropathologie, Hopital Cantonal, Universitaire de Lausanne, Switzerland, 1974 Lecturer in Neuropathology, University of Glasgow, 1973 Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australia, 1972 Resident Medical Officer and Registrar in Pathology, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, 1967 - 1972
Dr. Gavin Dixon
	Ms Therese Garrick Research Assistant - NHMRC Network for Brain Research into Mental Disorders, 1994- Present Clinical Nurse Specialist - Prince of Wales Hospital, 1989-1994 Registered Nurse - Macquarie Hospital/Prince of Wales Hospital, 1986 - 1989 Student Nurse - Aradale Mental Hospital/Footscray Psychiatric Hospital, 1980-1984
Ms Maria Sarris

Ms Therese Garrick

Ms. Garrick is based at both the Dept. of Pathology in the University of Sydney and at the Schizophrenia Research Unit, Liverpool Hospital. Her primary role is to review cases at the Institute of Forensic Medicine for inclusion in the NSW Tissue Resource Centre (TRC). As well as being involved in the tissue handling and processing, Ms. Garrick has developed the diagnostic protocol that is used to confirm the psychiatric diagnosis on cases collected for the TRC. Extensive file review and application of the Item Group Checklist of the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN), and the Diagnostic Instrument for Brain Studies (DIBS) are the main part of the clinical work up on the TRC cases. Ms. Garrick is also affiliated with the Neuroscience Institute of Schizophrenia and Allied Disorders (NISAD). Through this affiliation she has helped to develop Australia's first donor program for people with schizophrenia. People who are involved in this program consent to donate their brain on death for use in research projects specifically looking at the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Ms. Garrick is enrolled in a Master of Science in Medicine and is studying "Mamillary body quantitation in people with schizophrenia". Her other research interests are volumetric studies in people with schizophrenia, inter-rater reliability studies using the SCAN and DIBS and heroin related drug deaths in Sydney.

Recent Publications

• D Eyles, G Halliday, T Garrick, C Harper, K Cullen, S Pond, J McGrath (2000). Changes in the cholinergic basal forebrain in three cases with schizophrenia (in preparation).
• Garrick T, Little C, Catts SV. Improved methods of the use of the Item Group Checklist of the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) to make retrospective diagnoses based on medical record review (submitted).
• Garrick T, Sheedy, DL, Abernethy J, Hodda AE, Harper C. Heroin related deaths in Sydney, Australia. The American Journal on Addictions (in press).
• Sheedy D, Lara, A, Garrick T, Harper C. The size of mamillary bodies in health and disease. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 1999,23(10): 1624-1628.
• Garrick T, Sheedy D, Abernethy J, Hodda A.E, Harper C. (1998). Accidental illicit drug deaths in Sydney. How common are they? Medical Journal of Australia (Letter) 170 (3) 139.
• Harper C.G, Sheedy D.L, Lara, A.I., Garrick T.M, Milton J.M, Raisanen J. (1998). Prevalence of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome in Australia: has thiamine fortification made a difference? Medical Journal of Australia, 168, 542-535.

Published Abstracts / Presentations

• Harper, C., Sheedy, T., Garrick, T. The size of mamillary bodies in health and disease. Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology. Vol. 58, 99. No. 5, Pg. 562.
• Sarris, M., Garrick, T., Sheedy, D., Harper, C. The Sydney experience in brain banking. A TRC for neuropathology research &endash; current status. Proceedings of the Australian Neuroscience society. Vol. 10, 99. Issue 1034-3237.
• Eyles, D.W., MacGrath, J.J., Cullen, K.M., Garrick, T., Harper, C., Halliday, G.M. Calbindin content is reduced in the nucleus basalis of Meynert in schizophrenia &endash; preliminary findings. Proceedings of the Australian Neuroscience society. Vol. 10, 99. Issue 1034-3237.
• Sheedy D, Lara A, Garrick T, Harper C. (1998). Quantitative analysis of mamillary body area and volumes &endash; an autopsy study. Proc. Aust. Neuroscience. Soc. Vol 9, 1998 (Poster).
• Craig Little, Therese Garrick, Stanley V. Catts. (1998). Improved methods for case characterisation in neuropathology using the Item Group Checklist (SCAN). Schizophrenia Research; 29:40.
• Garrick T, Harper C, Catts SV, Ward P. (1997). A tissue donor program for people with psychiatric disorders. Does Australia need one? Australasian Society for Psychiatric Research Programs and Abstracts (Oral).
• Harper C, Sheedy D, Lara A, Garrick T, Hilton J, Raisanen J. (1997). Has the prevalence of Wernicke's encephalopathy changed in Australia since thiamin was added to flour? Brain Pathology XIII, International Congress of Neuropathology, 7 (4), 1253-1256 (Oral).
• Garrick T, Little C, Catts SV. (1996). Standardised procedures for medical record diagnosis using the Item Group Checklist (SCAN). Australian Society for Psychiatric Research Program and Abstracts, P16 (Poster).
• Dixon G, Huang X-F, Garrick T, Harper C, Catts SV, Ward PB, Hickie I, Halliday GM, McRitchie DA, Wakefield D, Lloyd A. (1995). A protocol for molecular and cellular studies or human brain tissue for neuropsychiatric research. Soc. Neurosciences Abstract, 21 (1), p2339. (Poster).

• NISAD Website