Factors associated with brain donation among optimally healthy elderly people

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 (≥85 years of age) were more likely to consent to donation than the younger participants (65-84 years of age).