Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, 600 S. Paulina, Suite 1038, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
Curr Alzheimer Res. 2012 Jul;9(6):734-45. doi: 10.2174/156720512801322627.
The Minority Aging Research Study (MARS) is a longitudinal, epidemiologic cohort study of decline in cognitive function and risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in older African Americans, with brain donation after death added as an optional component for those willing to consider organ donation. In this manuscript, we first summarize the study design and methods of MARS. We then provide details of ongoing efforts to achieve neuropathologic data on over 100 African Americans participating in MARS and in three other clinical-pathologic cohort studies at Rush University Medical Center. The results examine strategies for recruiting and consenting African Americans without dementia; (2) efforts to maintain high rates of follow-up participation; (3) strategies for achieving high rates of agreement to brain donation; and (4) the methodology of obtaining rapid brain autopsy at death. The implications of these efforts are discussed.
少数族裔老龄化研究（MARS）是一项纵向、流行病学队列研究，旨在研究老年非裔美国人认知功能下降和阿尔茨海默病（AD）的风险，对于愿意考虑器官捐赠的人，死后可将大脑捐赠作为可选组件。在本文中，我们首先总结了 MARS 的研究设计和方法。然后，我们详细介绍了正在进行的努力，以获得超过 100 名参与 MARS 以及在 Rush 大学医学中心的三个其他临床病理队列研究的 100 多名非裔美国人的神经病理学数据。结果探讨了以下策略：(1)招募和同意没有痴呆症的非裔美国人的策略；(2)努力保持高随访参与率；(3)实现大脑捐赠高同意率的策略；以及 (4)在死亡时获得快速大脑尸检的方法。讨论了这些努力的意义。
