Scientists Keep Brains Alive After Death in New Study That Will Definitely Not Start a Zombie Apocalypse
Written by Matthew Swigonski | Published
In the movie 28 days latera group of animal rights activists unwittingly unleash a zombie-like apocalypse after freeing a chimpanzee infected with the rage virus, teaching everyone an important lesson that humanity should not mess with nature, especially when inside a laboratory. In the story “We hope this doesn't come back and literally bite us,” a team of scientists in China has found an effective way to keep the brain alive after death, and it all starts with courage of all places. In the study, the team looked closely at liver function and how it affects the brain following a cardiac arrest.
In a recent study published in the medical journal, EMBO Molecular Medicine, a team of researchers from Sun Yat-Sen University looked at possible ways to keep the human brain alive after death, especially in the event of a cardiac event. In today's world, medical advances have allowed first responders the ability to revive people whose hearts have stopped. However, despite those medical advances, there is still a very short window in which a person can be revived without major damage to their vital organs, such as the brain.
Courageous Communication
When a person goes into cardiac arrest, the brain is deprived of oxygen and blood flow, causing brain activity to stop within a matter of seconds, opening up the possibility of catastrophic damage, including brain swelling and inflammation. death of brain cells.
In an attempt to extend the short window to avoid brain damage in cardiac arrest victims, the research team chose to test the function of keeping the livers of Tibetan minipigs alive after death, and see the effect the process can have on the minipigs' brains following resuscitation.
In the past, research has shown that the liver is an important part of how well the rest of the body does when suffering from cardiac arrest. According to the study, patients with a previous history of liver disease or other various liver problems are left at a greater risk of death in the event of cardiac arrest, which makes it more difficult to keep their brain alive after death, making resuscitation ineffective.
A team of researchers at Sun Yat-Sen University decided to take a closer look at the importance of the liver and test whether the organ is able to help the brain following cardiac arrest.
The Experiment
In their study, the research team blocked blood flow to the brains of young pigs, all while connecting their livers to a life support system that promotes blood circulation. After testing at different times, the researchers then tried to keep the pigs' brains alive after death using the same method. To study their results, the researchers then paired the pigs and compared them to a control group of pigs whose blood flow was not affected.
According to the researchers, pigs whose livers were connected to a life support system did significantly better than pigs whose livers remained intact after death, showing fewer signs of injury than a control group of pigs.
In the study, the researchers were able to restore brain function in the liver transplanted pigs for up to 50 minutes after the blood supply to the brain was stopped. That means they were able to keep their brains alive after death for longer than a control group of pigs whose livers remained intact.
It Can Save Lives
“Our study highlights the important role of the liver in the pathogenesis of post-[cardiac arrest] brain damage,” the researchers wrote in their study. “Information gained from current and future studies has the potential to improve survival and improve outcomes for patients who experience it. [cardiac arrest].”
Source: EMBO Molecular Medicine
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