The Devastating Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease

Whether you’re a patient, family member, healthcare practitioner or caregiver, nearly all of us will be impacted by Alzheimer’s disease at some point in our lifetime. Consider donating your brain to Alzheimer's research to help future generations.

Alzheimer’s Disease is one the country’s most significant public health issues. With approximately 6.7 million Americans over the age of 65 living with Alzheimer’s Disease, it is the fifth leading cause of death for those in this age group. As our population ages (and we’re living longer than ever before), more people will develop this devastating disorder which impacts not just those suffering from it, but also caregivers and families. We need a big breakthrough in neuroscience to stop this shattering disease.

Brain donation is crucial for Alzheimer’s research to help diagnose, treat, and hopefully one day, cure or even prevent the disease.

Donated brain tissue provides insights into the accumulation of amyloid plaques, tau tangles, and other pathological features associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Also, by examining brains at various stages of Alzheimer’s, researchers can learn how the disease progresses over time, and help identify potential strategies to slow or halt it altogether.

Brain tissue can be used to test the effects of new drugs or therapies on the disease’s pathology, helping to determine their potential before they are tested in clinical trials. It also can help identify biomarkers that might be useful for diagnosing Alzheimer’s earlier, which is critical for developing preventative strategies.

Finally, donated healthy brains are equally as important when it comes to Alzheimer’s research. By comparing brain tissue from individuals with Alzheimer’s to those without the disease, researchers can pinpoint the specific changes associated with Alzheimer’s, and improve our understanding of what distinguishes healthy brains from those affected by the disease.

Consider donating your brain to Alzheimer’s research to help future generations.

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What others have said after pre-registering:

“I lost my husband of 30 years at the age of 62 from Alzheimer’s Disease. I will donate my brain with the hopes of curing this devastating disease.”
– Registered Donor,J.N.

“I decided to donate my brain for research because if there is anything to be learned by dissecting my feeble brain, and it can conceivably help someone else, then it is something worth doing. Plus, I won’t be using it.”
– Registered Donor, B.L.

Common Questions

Breakthroughs in brain disease depend on studies using donated post-mortem human brain tissue. Since one brain can provide tissue for dozens – sometimes hundreds – of neurological studies, an individual brain donation is a highly valuable gift that almost anyone can make.
No. To ensure research is thorough, it is extremely important that scientists have access to donated brain tissue from people who did not have brain diseases. This is known as control tissue and it is crucial that scientists compare it directly with tissue from a person with a neurological diagnosis to determine differences. In other words, non-diseased brains are extremely valuable to neuroscientists as they must be part of every study.
No. Organ donation and brain donation are separate matters. An organ donor designation on a driver’s license does not include brain donation. Depending on the circumstances of death, it may be possible to donate organs for transplant as well as the brain for scientific research. If this is the case, the recovery teams will coordinate so that both kinds of donations can take place. Separate registrations for both organ donation and brain donation should be completed, if the intention is to donate both.