Scientists Successfully
Revive Brain Cells in Dead Pigs Researchers at Yale University have discovered the line
between “alive” and “dead” isn’t as set as once believed. Scientists were able to trigger the metabolic activity
of brain cells and even restore function in the
blood vessels of a deceased pig’s brain. The system, dubbed BrainEx,
pumped an experimental
solution into the brains of
32 slaughtered pigs. The pig’s brains had been at room
temperature and without blood for four
hours by the time the experiment started. The BrainEx solution was pumped into
the brains for six hours and successfully
brought oxygen to the surrounding tissue. While the results don’t qualify as a “living brain,”
the experiment does prove that function can
be restored to an intact dead brain. Researchers hope to now create electrical
activity in the brain by removing the
nerve blockers within the BrainEx solution. The nerve blockers were included in the initial
study to protect against the unlikely chance of
the brains regaining consciousness. This new discovery could benefit future stroke victims,
as well render the need for organ donations obsolete.