# brain transplant - technically possible? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 13, 2010, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-transplant-technically-possible/543002 "2010-06-13T11:48:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-transplant-technically-possible/543002/1 "2010-06-13T11:48:52Z")
Just wondering if this can be technically done, or if science has ever swapped a brain in an animal, like a sheep or something. All major organs of the human body can be transplanted. If it were possible to connect all of the neuro transmitters, nerve endings, etc., would/could it work? If this could be done, would this create the potential for immortality? Say Einstein was on his way out, but his brain was still sharp. They find a donor body that is brain dead, but is fine other than that. Transplanting Einstein’s brain would just put him into a different, younger body. Assuming everything was connected correctly, muscle movement would work, breathing would be fine, etc. Does anyone have any info on this? ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-transplant-technically-possible/543002/2 "2010-06-13T12:32:05Z")
The only documented study I know of was done by foremost brain surgeon of the '80’s Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr, involving his radical cranial screw-top technique. Don’t know about the potential for immortality, but it seems these brain transplants sure make you fat. ---
**Author:** ![Al\_Bundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@Al\_Bundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Bundy)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-transplant-technically-possible/543002/3 "2010-06-13T14:20:54Z")
As I read it, Einstein had an aneurysm repaired a few years before his death. Then when the situation returned and needed an update, he refused, saying his work here was done. He continued his work in the hospital and died soon after. Maybe a brain transplant will be possible some day. Is the newly saved person the brain person or the body vehicle person? In Einstein’s case for example, would his continued existence seem meaningless because he felt completed already? Perhaps he would look for all new goals like American Idol. Philosophically, the brain transplant makes the most sense to me for those under 30 and even more probably under 10 years old. As with other organs, there would have to be a proper match. Beyond the physical match, the body person would have some brain disease while the brain donor would have some fatal body trauma. The moral aspects seem to overwhelm the technical ones. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-transplant-technically-possible/543002/4 "2010-06-13T14:30:10Z")
> [@Al\_Bundy](#): > > The moral aspects seem to overwhelm the technical ones. The moral aspects are troublesome, to be sure, but don’t underestimate the technical ones. We’re nowhere near being able to repair even a severed spinal cord, and a brain transplant would require far more intensive work than that. To answer the OP, no, we’re nowhere near (by which I mean, not even in that nebulous medical news phase where everything is “20 years away” way) being technically able to do a brain transplant. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-transplant-technically-possible/543002/5 "2010-06-13T14:35:44Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > The moral aspects are troublesome, to be sure, but don’t underestimate the technical ones. We’re nowhere near being able to repair even a severed spinal cord, and a brain transplant would require far more intensive work than that. > > To answer the OP, no, we’re nowhere near (by which I mean, not even in that nebulous medical news phase where everything is “20 years away” way) being technically able to do a brain transplant. Yeah, even Dr. McCoy needed to use that plexiglass salad bowl thingy to reconnect Spock. And that was in the 23rd century! ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-transplant-technically-possible/543002/6 "2010-06-13T14:39:50Z")
Wikipedia is your friend. The article on [brain transplants](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_transplant) mentions some partial brain transplants, and similarly in the article on [head transplants](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_transplant). ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-transplant-technically-possible/543002/7 "2010-06-13T16:42:51Z")
I wanted to stay away from the moral issues, because that is a whole other set of issues. The concept of it I find fascinating, though. Walking around in a new body, seeing with different eyes, but having all of the memories of the person who’s brain was transplanted. I imagine that the problem of someone being tired of living (sounds like Einstein was ready to go), would be a problem. I also don’t know if the brain ages well enough to be working for 200 years. But if you can stay away from Alzheimers or tumors and such, maybe you could live in perpetuity. ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-transplant-technically-possible/543002/8 "2010-06-13T16:56:24Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > But if you can stay away from Alzheimers or tumors and such, maybe you could live in perpetuity. I would think that if brain transplants were viable, Alzheimer’s and tumors would not be an issue. My question is “Why would you want to live in perpetuity?” ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-transplant-technically-possible/543002/9 "2010-06-13T17:14:04Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > Just wondering if this can be technically done, or if science has ever swapped a brain in an animal, like a sheep or something. > > All major organs of the human body can be transplanted. If it were possible to connect all of the neuro transmitters, nerve endings, etc., would/could it work? > > If this could be done, would this create the potential for immortality? Say Einstein was on his way out, but his brain was still sharp. They find a donor body that is brain dead, but is fine other than that. Transplanting Einstein’s brain would just put him into a different, younger body. Assuming everything was connected correctly, muscle movement would work, breathing would be fine, etc. > > Does anyone have any info on this? A brain could probably be transplanted now into a compatible host body and live with all major blood vessels connected and the host body on life support. Whatever mind the brain possessed would probably spend the rest of its life screaming silently into the darkness. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-transplant-technically-possible/543002/10 "2010-06-13T17:16:25Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > A brain could probably be transplanted now into a compatible host body and live with all major blood vessels connected and the host body on life support. I’m not so sure. How are you going to enervate the digestive system? The urinary system? Even if you’re blowing air into them and making their heart contract, how will metabolic processes proceed without brain input in the form of hormones and nerve impulses? ---
**Author:** ![bardos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bardos/32/1069_2.png) [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-transplant-technically-possible/543002/11 "2010-06-13T18:17:01Z")
i don’t understand who gets what. someone’s body gives out and you want to transplant the brain into … whom? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-transplant-technically-possible/543002/12 "2010-06-13T18:28:15Z")
> [@bardos](#): > > i don’t understand who gets what. someone’s body gives out and you want to transplant the brain into … whom? Presumably, someone whose body is strong but brain is bye-bye. The Terri Schiavos of the world. ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-transplant-technically-possible/543002/13 "2010-06-13T21:53:59Z")
I have no good reason to believe this, but it is my belief that people’s brains are not compatible with each other. At very least, the interpretation of sensory input is probably completely different between each brain - we spend much of our infancy learning to make, um, sense of our senses. If you received another person’s brain, you’d likely have trouble interpreting what was going on in the world, even if you could get the requisite connections made. That said, I’m fairly sure we don’t have the ability to manipulate things on that low of a cellular level. You likely would need a nano-bot swarm to do it, given the probably huge number of connections to be made. And you would need to actually understand how the brain works at levels between cellular and lobe, which I don’t think we’ve really figured out. If we did, I’d think I’d not have the have my doctor change my medication every visit trying to find something that works. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-transplant-technically-possible/543002/14 "2010-06-13T22:32:45Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > I have no good reason to believe this, but it is my belief that people’s brains are not compatible with each other. At very least, the interpretation of sensory input is probably completely different between each brain - we spend much of our infancy learning to make, um, sense of our senses. If you received another person’s brain, you’d likely have trouble interpreting what was going on in the world, even if you could get the requisite connections made. I believe this is substantially correct - that the nervous system is built according to a common plan, but that in operation and development, it’s designed to custom-wire itself along the way - which means it’s somewhat adaptable, capable of a degree of redundancy and self-repair, but also, that no two examples will be alike, at the level of finest detail, where it really matters. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-transplant-technically-possible/543002/15 "2010-06-13T22:45:49Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > If you received another person’s brain, you’d likely have trouble interpreting what was going on in the world, even if you could get the requisite connections made. If you received another person’s brain, it wouldn’t be an issue for you, since the consciousness would be _them_, and your brain would be in a jar of formaldehyde or something. > [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](#): > > I would think that if brain transplants were viable, Alzheimer’s and tumors would not be an issue. My question is “Why would you want to live in perpetuity?” No, because the brain in question would still carry the Alzheimer’s. Where do you think the “you” exists? It’s in the brain, not the body. It might help both of you if you think of it as a body transplant instead. ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-transplant-technically-possible/543002/16 "2010-06-14T01:34:50Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > ``` > Quote: > Originally Posted by **glowacks** [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/images/buttons/viewpost.gif](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=12571200#post12571200) > *If you received another person's brain, you'd likely have trouble interpreting what was going on in the world, even if you could get the requisite connections made.* > > ``` > > If you received another person’s brain, it wouldn’t be an issue for you, since the consciousness would be _them_, and your brain would be in a jar of formaldehyde or something. Quote: > Originally Posted by **6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast** > _I would think that if brain transplants were viable, Alzheimer’s and tumors would not be an issue. My question is “Why would you want to live in perpetuity?”_ > > No, because the brain in question would still carry the Alzheimer’s. > > Where do you think the “you” exists? It’s in the brain, not the body. It might help both of you if you think of it as a body transplant instead. Seemingly, the “you” exists in the organ of the heart as well, **jjimm**. There have been studies (sorry, no cites) and documentaries made on the personality changes that can, and have beset transplant recipients; taking on the interests, passions, or habits of their donors. I would think too, and what I was inferring, is that if medical science were able to unravel the mysteries of the brain to achieve the success of transplanting, then Alzheimer’s and tumors will have been eradicated along the way. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-transplant-technically-possible/543002/17 "2010-06-14T01:48:59Z")
> [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](#): > > Seemingly, the “you” exists in the organ of the heart as well, **jjimm**. There have been studies (sorry, no cites) Here’s one: [Does changing the heart mean changing personality? A retrospective inquiry on 47 heart transplant patients.](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1299456) > [@](#): > > Heart transplantation is not simply a question of replacing an organ that no longer functions. The heart is often seen as source of love, emotions, and focus of personality traits. To gain insight into the problem of whether transplant patients themselves feel a change in personality after having received a donor heart, 47 patients who were transplanted over a period of 2 years in Vienna, Austria, were asked for an interview. Three groups of patients could be identified: 79% stated that their personality had not changed at all postoperatively. In this group, patients showed massive defense and denial reactions, mainly by rapidly changing the subject or making the question ridiculous. Fifteen per cent stated that their personality had indeed changed, but not because of the donor organ, but due to the life-threatening event. Six per cent (three patients) reported a distinct change of personality due to their new hearts. These incorporation fantasies forced them to change feelings and reactions and accept those of the donor. Verbatim statements of these heart transplant recipients show that there seem to be severe problems regarding graft incorporation, which are based on the age-old idea of the heart as a centre that houses feelings and forms the personality. Of course, heart transplantation is major life changing surgery, so it’s difficult to tell if these reactions are because of the new heart, because of the near death experience, or because the recipient feels so grateful to the donor that he begins to identify with him and unconsciously or consciously take on what he imagines the donor’s traits were like. I haven’t access to the full study to see if these details were addressed or not. ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-transplant-technically-possible/543002/18 "2010-06-14T02:10:38Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Of course, heart transplantation is major life changing surgery, so it’s difficult to tell if these reactions are because of the new heart, because of the near death experience, or because the recipient feels so grateful to the donor that he begins to identify with him and unconsciously or consciously take on what he imagines the donor’s traits were like. I haven’t access to the full study to see if these details were addressed or not. Thanks for the cite WhyNot; and in the two documentaries I’ve seen, none of the recipients had any idea who their donors were. It was only after the unexplained and quite intense changes occurred that they were linked to the donor families who verified the ‘taking on’ of these personality traits, or interests. ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-transplant-technically-possible/543002/19 "2010-06-14T02:11:11Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Here’s one: > [Does changing the heart mean changing personality? A retrospective inquiry on 47 heart transplant patients.](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1299456) > > Of course, heart transplantation is major life changing surgery, so it’s difficult to tell if these reactions are because of the new heart, because of the near death experience, or because the recipient feels so grateful to the donor that he begins to identify with him and unconsciously or consciously take on what he imagines the donor’s traits were like. I haven’t access to the full study to see if these details were addressed or not. Don’t forget anti-rejection drugs such as prednisone, which can have a major impact on mood and personality. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-transplant-technically-possible/543002/20 "2010-06-14T02:20:24Z")
> [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](#): > > Thanks for the cite WhyNot; and in the two documentaries I’ve seen, none of the recipients had any idea who their donors were. It was only after the unexplained and quite intense changes occurred that they were linked to the donor families who verified the ‘taking on’ of these personality traits, or interests. Which is intriguing, but not conclusive. Think of it this way. Before surgery, Jack described himself as “intense, driven, hard-working and short tempered” After, he becomes “patient, loving, generous and kind.” What family mourning their loved one (the heart donor) wouldn’t agree that their dearly departed was all of those things? And, of course, simply knowing he agreed to be an organ donor, we can make some good guesses as to what kind of a person he was. What I’d first like to see is a study comparing heart transplant recipients’ personality changes to other transplants, like lungs or livers or kidneys. Then I’d like to see a personality profile made of the donor and recipient before the procedure is done, and it should be a fairly rigorous one, not something as vague as a newspaper horoscope. Please understand, I’m not tossing out the idea. It actually fits quite well with what I’ve studied in Traditional Chinese Medicine, where the Heart is the home of the Shen, or personal spirit, which is not quite the same thing as the consciousness, but definitely affects personality and emotions, especially joy and despair. I’m just saying we don’t have clear evidence to support the hypothesis yet. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brain-transplant-technically-possible/543002.md?page=2)