Brain Donation: A Gift for Future Generations
Brain donation helps researchers study brain disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, that affect millions of people.
By studying the brains of people who have died – both those who had a brain disorder and those who were healthy during life – researchers learn more about how types of dementia affect the brain and how we might better treat and prevent them.
Brain donation provides an opportunity to help researchers better understand these disorders, which can lead to improved treatments for future generations.
Why Donate Your Brain?
People choose to donate their brains after death for various reasons. For some, the primary motivation is to help scientists discover new treatments and preventions for disease. For others, the main goal is to have a positive impact on their community and future generations.
Sometimes, family members want to know, for certain, whether their deceased loved one had Alzheimer’s disease or if something else caused the dementia. At present, a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or another disorder is only possible by examining the brain after death.
When donating as part of a study or to the NIH NeuroBioBank, there is no cost to the family for the donation procedure or the autopsy report.
Whatever the reasons, one thing is true for everyone: Brain donation is a generous gift. Researchers use donated brain tissue to study brain diseases that affect millions of people and include Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal disorders, mixed dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease, as well as brain injuries such as trauma and stroke.
Who Can Donate Their Brain?
Anyone over age 18 may choose to donate their brain after death. A legal guardian must provide consent for those younger than 18. This includes people who have a brain disorder and those with healthy brains. In fact, both are needed for this important research.
Donations from people without symptoms of brain disease provide all-important insights into what’s considered normal aging of the brain and certain brain mechanisms that may protect against disease.
Researchers also need brains from a diverse group of people representing, for example, different races and ethnicities, genders, geographic locations, and sexual orientations.
How to Become a Brain Donor
If you decide to donate your brain, consider enrolling in a study to provide the most value to researchers and future generations. National Institute on Aging-funded Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers have brain donation programs for their study participants. Contact your nearest center to find out if you’re eligible to participate.
Another way to become a brain donor is to pre-register with the Brain Donor Project, a partner of the NIH NeuroBioBank. The NeuroBioBank coordinates researcher requests and distributes brain tissue to researchers working to advance the science of brain disease.