The concept of keeping a brain alive and functioning independently of its body has been seen a lot in science fiction, but it was also thought to be implausible in the real world.
Well, scientists developed a device that can isolate blood flow to this organ, allowing it to maintain its activity for hours without depending on the rest of the body.
The device operates by diverting blood supply to the brain through a pump that controls a number of vital variables, including blood pressure, volume, temperature, oxygenation and nutrients.
A research team from UT Southwestern Medical Center tested this device on the brain of a pig anesthetized with ketamine and other chemicals, keeping the animal’s brain activity and health at normal levels over a period of five hours.
Like Futurama?
Although this progress does not imply the futuristic possibility of keeping human heads alive in Futurama-style jars, the researchers said it could open avenues for studying the brain independently of other bodily functions.
He Dr. Juan Pascualprofessor of neurology, pediatrics and physiology at UT Southwestern, noted: “This innovative method allows us to investigate the brain in isolation, giving us the opportunity to answer physiological questions in an unprecedented way.”
The extracorporeal pulsatile circulatory control system (EPCC) has been used to study the effects of hypoglycemia on the brain, a common condition in people with diabetes. This device could allow researchers to directly alter blood glucose levels reaching the brain.
Pascual mentioned that this one-of-a-kind system could also improve machines used in cardiac bypass surgeries, reproducing blood flow to the brain similar to the natural pulse of the human heart and, potentially, avoiding cerebral side effects.
Despite the great potential of the EPCC in medicine, The idea of keeping a brain alive independently of the body evokes the controversial topic of head transplants.
Sergio Canavero, an Italian neurosurgeon, had planned such an operation, but Valery Spiridonov, who suffers from a muscle disease, decided not to participate after finding love and becoming a father.