Researchers partially restore pig brain four hours after "death"



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The researchers used a unique, blood – oxygen – filled, anticoagulant solution called BrainEx, to act as an artificial blood substitute. They filtered and pumped through the circulatory system of the head and began to shockingly see renewed circulation, a metabolic response, and even spontaneous activation of the synapse.

However, the research team was quick to point out, none of these answers being close to what would constitute a conscience or a conscience. If the team had detected alpha or beta brain waves between 8 and 30 Hz, she reportedly said she administered heavy anesthetics and cooled her head quickly to suppress any cellular activity.

Researchers already have the ability to keep slices of living and electrically active mammalian brain tissue a few minutes at a time, but it is impossible to restore at least a fundamental cellular function after four hours of oxygen and nutrients.

As Hank Greely, a professor at Stanford, points out, Nature This research has potentially transformed a pair of long-standing beliefs about brain death. First, the idea that your consciousness dissipates within minutes of brain death, and secondly, that the only way to prevent this is to restore circulation in the organ as quickly as possible. If we are able to partially resuscitate the pig brain four hours after the fact, it is possible that this brain is not as dead as we think.

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<p>While this discovery is sure to open a box of Pandora's ethical questions – from "how to measure consciousness" and "how can we make sure these heads do not regain consciousness" to "what rights did those heads have- they in these undead gray area "- the study itself strictly complied with the ethical rules in animal welfare. Following the advice of the Institutional Yale Animal Use and Protection Committee (IACUC), the team used pig heads raised for animal consumption and slaughtered before the start of production. the study, in accordance with the 1966 Animal Protection Act.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the potential medical benefits of this technology for humankind are enormous. We are still decades or even centuries away from Futurama style pots, but the BrainEx solution could quickly be used in trauma rooms as a way of preserving brain function following traumatic traumatic injury. head or catastrophic infection. But before that happens, we will need to develop strong ethical guidelines for this new area of ​​research.</p>
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