The olfactory bulb and tract (OB/OT) are among the earliest structures in the brain to undergo pathological changes in many neurodegenerative conditions. The availability of OB/OT samples from brain specimens in brain banks therefore assumes importance. We collected data from 5 years (2006-2010) regarding the presence or absence of OB/OT material in cases received by the Queen Square Brain Bank (QSBB) for Neurological Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, UK, to estimate availability of OB/OT material at the brain bank and also to look for possible associations. Of the 438 cases received, 320 had complete data regarding OB/OT and 29.4% of these had OB/OT in at least one half of the specimen. Unavailability of OB/OT was associated with larger post-mortem delays (p<0.001), suggesting that the delay might render the tissue more friable and hence lead to its loss. Brains from female donors also tended to have a higher availability in our samples.712110112Duda, J.E., Olfactory system pathology as a model of Lewy neurodegenerative disease (2010) J Neurol Sci, 289, pp. 49-54Braak, H., del Tredici, K., Rueb, U., Staging of brain pathology related to sporadic Parkinson's disease (2003) Neurobiol Aging, 24, pp. 197-211Silveira-Moriyama, L., Holton, J.L., Kingsbury, A., Regional differences in the severity of Lewy body pathology across the olfactory cortex (2009) Neurosci Lett, 453, pp. 77-80Pearce, R., Hawkes, C., Daniel, S., The anterior olfactory nucleus in Parkinson's disease (1995) Mov Disord, 10, pp. 283-287van den Berge, S.A., van Strien, M.E., Korecka, J.A., The proliferative capacity of the subventricular zone is maintained in the parkinsonian brain (2011) Brain, 134, pp. 3249-3263Ravid, R., van Zwieten, E.J., Saab, D.F., Brain banking and the human hypothalamus--factors to match for, pitfalls and potentials (1992) Prog Brain Res, 93, pp. 83-95ul Haq, S., Tahir, M., Lone, K.P., Age and gender-related differences in mitral cells of olfactory bulb (2008) J Coll Physicians Surg Pak, 18, pp. 669-673Doty, R.L., Bromley, S.M., Stern, M.B., Olfactory testing as an aid in the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease: Development of optimal discrimination criteria (1995) Neurodegeneration, 4, pp. 93-97