# Any advantage to performing a brain transplant vs a head transplant? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 20, 2010, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advantage-to-performing-a-brain-transplant-vs-a-head-transplant/557761 "2010-10-20T11:12:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advantage-to-performing-a-brain-transplant-vs-a-head-transplant/557761/1 "2010-10-20T11:12:50Z")
Assuming you have the medical technology to reconnect the spinal chord and/or sensory nerves, but all else otherwise is the same as present-day medical state of the art? (This is inspired by an old movie I saw, long ago, and it’s something I’ve been meaning to ask about. Plus, it’s almost Halloween, so…y’know, it seemed appropriate. And yes, I know the proper terminology should really be “_body_ transplant,” but this gets to the point.) I think I recall reading in some of [Dr. Robert White](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_J._White)’s research that there would be less immune system complications to deal with when just transplanting (or grafting) a brain, but I don’t know the details. And I have a hard time believing that that’d stack up favorably against the complications of manhandling a brain into another skull, hooking up said nerve and vascular connections, and while keeping it hooked to a life support system, without killing it. Is there a neurosurgeon in the house? ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advantage-to-performing-a-brain-transplant-vs-a-head-transplant/557761/2 "2010-10-20T11:26:06Z")
Well, I guess one advantage is that you get to keep your face. Although, for some, that may be a disadvantage. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advantage-to-performing-a-brain-transplant-vs-a-head-transplant/557761/3 "2010-10-20T11:28:05Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > Well, I guess one advantage is that you get to keep your face. Although, for some, that may be a disadvantage. Since it’s actually a case of body transplantation, it’s with a head transplant you get to keep your face. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advantage-to-performing-a-brain-transplant-vs-a-head-transplant/557761/4 "2010-10-20T11:32:02Z")
Yeah, got it backwards. It’s early… ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advantage-to-performing-a-brain-transplant-vs-a-head-transplant/557761/5 "2010-10-20T11:38:04Z")
You get cooler, goolish types scar with a brain transplant. Although that neck stiching can be pretty popluar at parties too. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advantage-to-performing-a-brain-transplant-vs-a-head-transplant/557761/6 "2010-10-20T12:33:27Z")
Of course, there may be reasons we don’t know about yet, seeing as how we don’t know how to do the transplant at all yet. I think it’s at least plausible that immune system rejection is easier with just a brain: I understand the brain is somewhat walled off from the rest of the body (there are drugs that will affect most of the body, but won’t get through the blood-brain barrier). If I had to come up with fanwanking type reasons for a brain-only transplant (i.e. reasons I don’t actually think are very likely, but are just barely possible with some suspension of skepticism), a couple might be: Turns out that keeping the entire airway (mouth/nose, trachea, vocal cords, lungs) together makes it easier for the transplanted brain to learn to speak. The spinal column and skull (and associated muscles) need to be more or less intact to work well together. Splicing a new skull onto the spine always results in back problems and coordination issues. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advantage-to-performing-a-brain-transplant-vs-a-head-transplant/557761/7 "2010-10-20T13:00:54Z")
Most of the cranial nerves - there are about a dozen of them - connect the brain directly to things in the head (eyes, mouth, ears, nose, facial muscles, etc.). If you did a complete head transplant you would avoid the need to reconnect these. I rather suspect that reconnecting nerves (which are all multi-strand cables) correctly would be one of the most challenging parts of any such surgery. (Of course, either way you are going to have to reconnect the spinal cord and the vagus nerve correctly.) ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advantage-to-performing-a-brain-transplant-vs-a-head-transplant/557761/8 "2010-10-20T13:12:37Z")
I envision a day when the brains of brilliant men can be kept alive in the bodies of dumb people. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advantage-to-performing-a-brain-transplant-vs-a-head-transplant/557761/9 "2010-10-20T15:21:05Z")
Head transplant, you have to keep your own face, which might be o0ld and ugly. With a brain transplant, you might be able to trade your face in for a newer and better looking one. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-advantage-to-performing-a-brain-transplant-vs-a-head-transplant/557761/10 "2010-10-21T02:00:49Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > I think it’s at least plausible that immune system rejection is easier with just a brain: I understand the brain is somewhat walled off from the rest of the body (there are drugs that will affect most of the body, but won’t get through the blood-brain barrier). Part of this I’ve been wondering about, for awhile—even if the brain tissue is somewhat walled off from the immune system, how far does this extend to things immediately connected to the brain, like it’s own blood vessels, or the dura?