Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, Vol 54, Issue 11 M560-M564, Copyright © 1999 by The Gerontological Society of America

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Factors associated with brain donation among optimally healthy elderly people

JA Kaye, A Dame, S Lehman and G Sexton
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Portland, Oregon, USA. [email protected]

BACKGROUND: Consent rates for brain donation were examined in 140 healthy elderly participants of the Oregon Brain Aging Study, a longitudinal study of successful aging. Subjects were initially selected for good health. The study population had a relatively high education level, a high socioeconomic status, and were predominantly white. METHODS: At each annual examination, a project physician asked participants to consider brain donation. This analysis examined variables that may affect the rate of brain donation consent: age, gender, education, socioeconomic status, marital status, religiosity, cognitive status, depression, and functional status. RESULTS: Of these variables only age was a meaningful factor. CONCLUSION: The oldest old participants (> or =85 years of age) were more likely to consent to donation than the younger participants (65-84 years of age).

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