Scientists Restore Brain Function to Clinically Dead Brains, But...
Once your brain stops functioning, you’re dead, right? The answer may be a little less clear cut now. Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine recently restored some function to pig brains that had been pronounced clinically dead hours earlier, proving that it’s possible to profuse brains and restore basic metabolic functions. But is it ethical? Let's take a look at a few things here...
While the brains did not regain consciousness, they did start metabolizing energy and relaying electrical signals. Researchers are hopeful that this experiment will lead to breakthroughs in the medical field. However, this experiment is causing a heated ethical debate...
The Experiment
Hours after they were pronounced clinically dead and removed from their respective bodies, 32 pig brains were connected to a perfusion system called BrainEx. Perfusion is when fluid is passed through the circulatory system or lymphatic system to an organ or a tissue. The artificial perfusion system restored oxygen and nutrients to the brains by circulating a man-made solution through existing blood vessels, a function performed by the circulatory system in live beings.
The results were astounding... Brain cells came back to life and started metabolizing sugars. Neurons started transmitting electrical signals. In short, researchers were able to revive dead brains and restore some function.
Researchers did not raise pigs from the dead or restore consciousness to the pig brains. They took measures to prevent such an accidental occurrence via medication. However, researchers are hopeful that the discovery will lead to even more breakthroughs in the medical field.
What could it mean for humans?
What It Means for Medicine
Do researchers want to bring pigs back to life? Not necessarily. Researchers are hopeful that this experiment will shed light on the cellular functions of the brain, which will help them treat neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease. They also think the findings will help medical professionals learn more about organ viability in relation to organ transplants.
The Ethical Question
As mentioned, researchers took measures to prevent brains from gaining consciousness during the experiment. It’s not even known at this time if doing so is a possibility. The idea does raise some ethical questions. What happens if death can be prevented via artificial perfusion? What if death can be reversed?
Ethical questions arise with every new medical advancement, like the Chinese scientist who edited the genes of twins. We can rest assured that the ethical discussion will continue as scientists delve further into this exciting discovery. For now, raising animals from the dead and performing this experiment with human brains is far in the future. But it seems entirely possible that this experiment could one day lead to advancements that help treat humans.
~Here’s to Your Health and Wellness
Other Sources:
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/04/17/714289322/scientists-restore-some-function-in-the-brains-of-dead-pigs
https://www.livescience.com/65255-pig-brain-restore-cell-activity-after-death.html
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