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Griffin CP, Bowen JR, Walker MM, Lynam J, Paul CL. Understanding the value of brain donation for research to donors, next-of-kin and clinicians: A systematic review. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0295438. [PMID: 38117774 PMCID: PMC10732432 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/22/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Post-mortem brain donation affords the opportunity to characterise disease by exploring global neuropathological changes. Such opportunities are essential to progress knowledge of CNS tumours such as Glioblastoma. A comprehensive understanding of the experience of consenting to brain donation is crucial to maximising consent rates while providing patient-centred care. This review aimed to synthesise the reported facilitators and barriers according to potential donors, next-of-kin (NOK) and clinician respondents. DESIGN Database searches included Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, Psychology and Behavioural Science and Scopus. Search terms focused on motivations, attitudes and psychosocial experiences of brain donation. Exclusions included organ transplantation and brain death. All studies were assessed for quality and validity using tools from the Joanna Briggs Institute. To determine perceptions of benefit and harm, a method guided by the thematic analysis of Braun and Clarke was employed to reflexively assess and identify common themes and experiences. RESULTS 40 studies (15 qualitative, 25 quantitative) were included involving participants with paediatric cancer, neurodegenerative and psychological diseases. Perceptions of benefit included benefit to future generations, aiding scientific research, avoidance of waste, improved treatments and the belief that donation will bring consolation or aid in the grieving process. Perceptions of harm included a perceived conflict with religious beliefs, disfigurement to the donor, emotional distress at the time of autopsy and discord or objections within the family. CONCLUSION Brain donation can afford a sense of purpose, meaning and empowerment for donors and their loved ones. Careful strategies are required to mitigate or reduce potential harms during the consent process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra P. Griffin
- College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing University of Newcastle, Tamworth, NSW, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | - Jenna R. Bowen
- College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing University of Newcastle, Tamworth, NSW, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | - Marjorie M. Walker
- College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing University of Newcastle, Tamworth, NSW, Australia
| | - James Lynam
- College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing University of Newcastle, Tamworth, NSW, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
- Department of Medical Oncology, Calvary Mater, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| | - Christine L. Paul
- College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing University of Newcastle, Tamworth, NSW, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
- Priority Research Centre Cancer Research, Innovation and Translation, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia
- Priority Research Centre Health Behaviour, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia
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Chan RJW, Seah S, Foo JYJ, Yong ACW, Chia NSY, Agustin SJU, Neo SXM, Tay KY, Au WL, Tan LCS, Ng ASL. Patient attitudes towards brain donation across both neurodegenerative and non-neurodegenerative neurological disorders. Cell Tissue Bank 2020; 21:265-277. [PMID: 32140800 DOI: 10.1007/s10561-020-09819-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Brain donations are imperative for research; understanding possible barriers to entry is required to improve brain donation rates. While a few surveys have studied attitudes towards brain banking in patients with neurodegenerative disorders, none have surveyed patients with chronic neurological disorders but without neurodegeneration. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 187 participants, with both neurodegenerative (n = 122) and non-neurodegenerative disorders (n = 65), to compare their attitudes and preferences towards brain donation. Encouragingly, patients with non-neurodegenerative disorders were just as likely to consider brain donation as those with neurodegenerative diseases. Approximately half of each group were willing to consider brain donation, and majority of participants across both groups would not be offended if asked to participate in brain donation (71%). Across both groups, altruistic reasons such as desire to advance medical knowledge and benefit to other patients were the main motivating factors for brain donation, while perceived stress for family members, fears of body disfigurement and religious reasons were the main reasons against brain donation. Of note, nearly two-thirds of all participants were agreeable to allow their family to decide on their behalf. Overall, participants with non-neurodegenerative disorders appeared equally likely to consider brain donation as participants with neurodegenerative disorders. This is an important finding as they represent a significant population seen in specialist neurology clinics who may be overlooked in brain donor recruitment and awareness efforts. Healthcare professionals involved in brain banking should consider actively approaching these potential donors and involving their family members in these discussions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reudi J W Chan
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, 11 Mandalay Road, Singapore, 308232, Singapore
| | - Sherilyn Seah
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 10 Medical Drive, Singapore, 117597, Singapore
| | - Joel Y J Foo
- Department of Research, National Neuroscience Institute, 11 Jalan Tan Tock Seng, Singapore, 308433, Singapore
| | - Alisa C W Yong
- Department of Research, National Neuroscience Institute, 11 Jalan Tan Tock Seng, Singapore, 308433, Singapore
| | - Nicole S Y Chia
- Department of Research, National Neuroscience Institute, 11 Jalan Tan Tock Seng, Singapore, 308433, Singapore
| | - Sherwin J U Agustin
- Department of Research, National Neuroscience Institute, 11 Jalan Tan Tock Seng, Singapore, 308433, Singapore
| | - Shermyn X M Neo
- Department of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, 11 Jalan Tan Tock Seng, Singapore, 308433, Singapore
| | - Kay-Yaw Tay
- Department of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, 11 Jalan Tan Tock Seng, Singapore, 308433, Singapore
| | - Wing-Lok Au
- Department of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, 11 Jalan Tan Tock Seng, Singapore, 308433, Singapore
| | - Louis C S Tan
- Department of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, 11 Jalan Tan Tock Seng, Singapore, 308433, Singapore
| | - Adeline S L Ng
- Department of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, 11 Jalan Tan Tock Seng, Singapore, 308433, Singapore.
- Neuroscience and Behavioural Disorders Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, 8 College Road, Singapore, 169857, Singapore.
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Trujillo Diaz D, Hernandez NC, Cortes EP, Faust PL, Vonsattel JPG, Louis ED. Banking brains: a pre-mortem "how to" guide to successful donation. Cell Tissue Bank 2018; 19:473-488. [PMID: 30220002 DOI: 10.1007/s10561-018-9720-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A review of the brain banking literature reveals a primary focus either on the factors that influence the decision to become a future donor or on the brain tissue processing that takes place after the individual has died (i.e., the front-end or back-end processes). What has not been sufficiently detailed, however, is the complex and involved process that takes place after this decision to become a future donor is made yet before post-mortem processing occurs (i.e., the large middle-ground). This generally represents a period of many years during which the brain bank is actively engaged with donors to ensure that valuable clinical information is prospectively collected and that their donation is eventually completed. For the past 15 years, the Essential Tremor Centralized Brain Repository has been actively involved in brain banking, and our experience has provided us valuable insights that may be useful for researchers interested in establishing their own brain banking efforts. In this piece, we fill a gap in the literature by detailing the processes of enrolling participants, creating individualized brain donation plans, collecting clinical information and regularly following-up with donors to update that information, and efficiently coordinating the brain harvest when death finally arrives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Trujillo Diaz
- Division of Movement Disorders, Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Nora C Hernandez
- Division of Movement Disorders, Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Etty P Cortes
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Medical Center and the New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA.,Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Phyllis L Faust
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Medical Center and the New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jean Paul G Vonsattel
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Medical Center and the New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA.,Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Elan D Louis
- Division of Movement Disorders, Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA. .,Center for Neuroepidemiology and Clinical Neurological Research, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA. .,Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
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Fonseca MK, Rodrigues-Neto E, Costa ASR, Rockembach MABC, Padilha RS, Fernandez LL, Oliveira FH, Garcia LP, Hilbig A. Assessing families' and patients' attitudes toward brain donation for research purposes in a Brazilian population sample. Cell Tissue Bank 2014; 16:287-94. [PMID: 25098349 DOI: 10.1007/s10561-014-9465-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2014] [Accepted: 07/29/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The neuropathological examination of postmortem human brain tissue is an essential resource for the definitive diagnosis and research on neurodegenerative diseases. Due to the growing need of donated brains to supply the Brain Banks, the understanding of the factors associated with the consent for the donation in our context is an important aspect of the process of brain donation. The verbal answers and the donation consent rate were evaluated in three groups: 30 relatives of patients who underwent verification of the cause of death, 14 patients assisted at a neurology ambulatory outpatient clinic, and 18 patients' relatives. The donation consent rates were of 46.6, 92.8 and 88.8 %, respectively. The main reasons for refusal were the disagreement with the autopsy, philosophical and religious issues, objections from other family members, and the consideration of the wishes of the deceased. The consent was specially motivated by the interest in the advances of scientific knowledge, altruistic reasons and the personal experiences with the disease. Factors as the emotional fragility at the moment of death, the beliefs, family matters, and the lack of knowledge are key elements in the donation process. Future goals include the establishment of a brain donor program with the support of academic institutions, hospitals, scientists, community, patient's associations and autopsy assistants. Approaching patients and relatives in specialized ambulatories clinic during assistance is probably the most efficient mean of obtaining brains for research.
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Affiliation(s)
- M K Fonseca
- Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre (Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre), Porto Alegre, Brazil,
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Abstract
One of the sequelae of chronic alcohol abuse is malnutrition. Importantly, a deficiency in thiamine (vitamin B(1)) can result in the acute, potentially reversible neurological disorder Wernicke encephalopathy (WE). When WE is recognized, thiamine treatment can elicit a rapid clinical recovery. If WE is left untreated, however, patients can develop Korsakoff syndrome (KS), a severe neurological disorder characterized by anterograde amnesia. Alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) describes the effects of chronic alcohol consumption on human brain structure and function in the absence of more discrete and well-characterized neurological concomitants of alcoholism such as WE and KS. Through knowledge of both the well-described changes in brain structure and function that are evident in alcohol-related disorders such as WE and KS and the clinical outcomes associated with these changes, researchers have begun to gain a better understanding of ARBD. This Review examines ARBD from the perspective of WE and KS, exploring the clinical presentations, postmortem brain pathology, in vivo MRI findings and potential molecular mechanisms associated with these conditions. An awareness of the consequences of chronic alcohol consumption on human behavior and brain structure can enable clinicians to improve detection and treatment of ARBD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie M Zahr
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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Banco de tejidos neurológicos de Sant Joan de Déu-Serveis de Salut Mental para la investigación de las enfermedades mentales. La importancia de un programa de donación en vida. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/s1134-5934(08)71126-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Abstract
Patterns of drinking are changing throughout the world and in many countries this will be detrimental to the health and welfare of the local population. Even uncomplicated alcoholics who have no specific neurological or hepatic problems show signs of regional brain damage and cognitive dysfunction. Many of these changes are exaggerated and other brain regions damaged in patients who have additional vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency (Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome). Quantitative neuropathology techniques and improvements in neuroimaging have contributed significantly to the documentation of these changes but mechanisms underlying the damage are not understood. A human brain bank targeting alcohol cases has been established in Sydney, Australia and provides fresh and frozen tissue for alcohol researchers. The tissues can be used to test hypotheses developed from structural neuropathological studies or from animal models and in vitro studies. Identification of reversible pathological changes and preventative medical approaches in alcoholism should enhance rehabilitation and treatment efforts, thereby mitigating debilitating morbidities and reducing mortality associated with this universal public health problem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clive Harper
- Department of Pathology, Blackburn Building, D06, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
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Garrick T, Howell S, Terwee P, Redenbach J, Blake H, Harper C. Brain donation for research: who donates and why? J Clin Neurosci 2006; 13:524-8. [PMID: 16678423 DOI: 10.1016/j.jocn.2005.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2005] [Accepted: 06/23/2005] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Understanding what influences people to donate or not donate body organs is critical for the future of transplant surgery and medical research. Are people involved with a brain donor program for research influenced by the same factors, and are they also donors for organ transplantation? Using web-based technology, people involved in an Australian brain donation program (for research) were asked to complete a questionnaire designed to elicit demographic information, motivational factors and information about involvement in organ transplantation programs. The response rate was 82%. The majority of people involved in the program are young, well-educated Australian females. Seventy-eight percent are involved in other organ and tissue donation programs. People involved in the 'Using our Brains' program are the same group as those who are organ and tissue donors. An improvement in the overall donation rate might be possible if the resources of the research and transplant organisations were combined.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Garrick
- Department of Pathology, Do6, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia.
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The decline of the hospital autopsy: a safety and quality issue for healthcare in Australia. Med J Aust 2004; 180:281-5. [PMID: 15012566 DOI: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2004.tb05926.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2003] [Accepted: 02/09/2004] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Even with new diagnostic modalities, autopsy remains an important tool for quality and safety assurance. A systematic review of reports from 1996 to 2002 found autopsies detected, on average, 23.5% of clinically missed diagnoses involving the principal or underlying cause of death, and 9% of errors that would or could have affected the patient's outcome. We surveyed pathology laboratories and hospital administrators across Australia, and found a decline in the hospital autopsy rate from 21% (210/1000 deaths) in 1992-93 to 12% (118/1000 deaths) in 2002-03. This decrease is in adult autopsies (66% of all autopsies in 1992-93; 39% in 2002-03). Perinatal autopsies increased from 29% to 58% of all autopsies in this period, mainly due to more examinations of fetuses less than 20 weeks' gestation. Factors contributing to this decline may include community attitudes, clinicians' reluctance to request autopsy (partly because of administrative burdens in making the request), hospital concern about legal action if a misdiagnosis is detected, and funding priorities. Reversing this decline will require cooperative action at several levels of the healthcare system, and from government bodies.
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