and onto that body

our neurosurgoen friend who thinks he can transplant a human head onto other body is starting to crumble under the pressure. Once you can’t explain it all to a bunch of peers, you should probably rethink the activity.

If the test subject has his head transplanted onto a body, what is his genetic makeup? Does it change? he would want to since he has a genetic disease, currently. How does that all even work?

Who becomes the legal entity – the head or the body?

party_pants said:

Who becomes the legal entity – the head or the body?

As I’ve said before, it’s a body transplant.

Tamb said:

party_pants said:

Who becomes the legal entity – the head or the body?

As I’ve said before, it’s a body transplant.

What use would a head be, without it?

roughbarked said:

Tamb said:

party_pants said:

Who becomes the legal entity – the head or the body?

As I’ve said before, it’s a body transplant.

What use would a head be, without it?

A lot more than a body without a head.
It is almost possible to keep a head alive & mentally functioning.

Tamb said:

party_pants said:

Who becomes the legal entity – the head or the body?

As I’ve said before, it’s a body transplant.

Have you said that before? Sorry, I must have missed it.

party_pants said:

Tamb said:

party_pants said:

Who becomes the legal entity – the head or the body?

As I’ve said before, it’s a body transplant.

Have you said that before? Sorry, I must have missed it.

You’re forgiven p_p.

I think it’s an interesting question, how much of out identity is located outside of our brain?

Those wishing to debate this question should watch The Man with Two Brains:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r4rS0yzQ1M

There’s a “second brain” in our stomachs & guts (100 million neurons in the gut, as many as in the brain of a cat):

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-18779997

Bubblecar said:

There’s a “second brain” in our stomachs & guts (100 million neurons in the gut, as many as in the brain of a cat):

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-18779997

Does a gourmand like yourself have a particularly active ‘gut brain’? :-)

Bubblecar said:

There’s a “second brain” in our stomachs & guts (100 million neurons in the gut, as many as in the brain of a cat):

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-18779997

How come I didn’t know that?

How about other body parts?

Do our hearts have little brains as well?

Witty Rejoinder said:

Bubblecar said:

There’s a “second brain” in our stomachs & guts (100 million neurons in the gut, as many as in the brain of a cat):

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-18779997

Does a gourmand like yourself have a particularly active ‘gut brain’? :-)

Too active for its own good.

The Rev Dodgson said:

How come I didn’t know that?

How about other body parts?

Do our hearts have little brains as well?

Yes, the heart has a little “brain” too apparently (40,000 neurons).

The Rev Dodgson said:

Bubblecar said:

There’s a “second brain” in our stomachs & guts (100 million neurons in the gut, as many as in the brain of a cat):

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-18779997

How come I didn’t know that?

How about other body parts?

Do our hearts have little brains as well?

Neurons

https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/cells.html

The human body is made up of trillions of cells. Cells of the nervous system, called nerve cells or neurons, are specialized to carry “messages” through an…..

there are a number of people who have two heads and share one body

two headed females

two headed males

cojoined twins? or are they different?

CrazyNeutrino said:

there are a number of people who have two heads and share one body

two headed females

two headed males

cojoined twins? or are they different?

AFAIK all people with two heads are conjoined twins.

How do we know if both heads are the same sex?

Arts said:

and onto that body

our neurosurgoen friend who thinks he can transplant a human head onto other body is starting to crumble under the pressure. Once you can’t explain it all to a bunch of peers, you should probably rethink the activity.

My understanding, based on failed attempts using stem cell therapy to repair severed spinal cords, is that nerves retract rapidly when cut, which makes them exceedingly difficult to rejoin. Attempts to rejoin them so far using stem cells have run into the problem that the nerve cells grown from stem cells grow randomly rather than in the correct alignment for reattachment.

Peer pressure, and even conviction of fraudulent conduct, didn’t stop Hwang Woo-Suk, luckily. He succeeded in a large number of cloning projects that had totally defeated his “peers”. Peer reviews can be good or bad. A good peer review is done conscientiously and with altruism. However, all too often, a peer review is done with self-interest in mind and/or with negligible effort on the part of the reviewer.

I still think that head transplants remain possible. Perhaps if spinal nerves are pre-grown in the correct orientation and/or if the head and body are cryogenically frozen using liquid nitrogen immediately after severing and during the surgery.

Arts said:

If the test subject has his head transplanted onto a body, what is his genetic makeup? Does it change? he would want to since he has a genetic disease, currently. How does that all even work?

Not sure what disease he has but it could be something like muscular dystrophy. In that, the mutation affects the cytoskeleton of muscle cells – the cytoskeleton being made within the muscle cells, from the DNA in the muscle cells. So if you put a different head on the body, the muscle cells don’t change their DNA, so the head’s new body doesn’t get muscular dystrophy. The head’s muscles will still have the mutation, but it’s the muscles in the rest of the body that make people die from muscular dystrophy.

Parkinson’s disease, OTOH, would follow the head, as the primary problem in that is cells in the substantia nigra in the brain. Muscle cells themselves work normally, as evidenced by the fact deep brain stimulators fix the tremor.

Blood type will be that of the body. Blood is made in the marrow of long bones predominantly.

Bubblecar said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

How come I didn’t know that?

How about other body parts?

Do our hearts have little brains as well?

Yes, the heart has a little “brain” too apparently (40,000 neurons).

Is that a mini computer to run/control the heart?

OCDC said:

Arts said:

If the test subject has his head transplanted onto a body, what is his genetic makeup? Does it change? he would want to since he has a genetic disease, currently. How does that all even work?

Not sure what disease he has but it could be something like muscular dystrophy. In that, the mutation affects the cytoskeleton of muscle cells – the cytoskeleton being made within the muscle cells, from the DNA in the muscle cells. So if you put a different head on the body, the muscle cells don’t change their DNA, so the head’s new body doesn’t get muscular dystrophy. The head’s muscles will still have the mutation, but it’s the muscles in the rest of the body that make people die from muscular dystrophy.

Parkinson’s disease, OTOH, would follow the head, as the primary problem in that is cells in the substantia nigra in the brain. Muscle cells themselves work normally, as evidenced by the fact deep brain stimulators fix the tremor.

Blood type will be that of the body. Blood is made in the marrow of long bones predominantly.

spinal muscular atrophy

Proximal spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive disease caused by a genetic defect in the SMN1 gene, which encodes SMN, a protein widely expressed in all eukaryotic cells. SMN is apparently selectively necessary for survival of motor neurons, as diminished abundance of the protein results in loss of function of neuronal cells in the anterior horn of the spinal cord and subsequent system-wide muscle wasting (atrophy).

so the defect is in his spine? new body.. new spine.

Arts said:

OCDC said:

Arts said:

If the test subject has his head transplanted onto a body, what is his genetic makeup? Does it change? he would want to since he has a genetic disease, currently. How does that all even work?

Not sure what disease he has but it could be something like muscular dystrophy. In that, the mutation affects the cytoskeleton of muscle cells – the cytoskeleton being made within the muscle cells, from the DNA in the muscle cells. So if you put a different head on the body, the muscle cells don’t change their DNA, so the head’s new body doesn’t get muscular dystrophy. The head’s muscles will still have the mutation, but it’s the muscles in the rest of the body that make people die from muscular dystrophy.

Parkinson’s disease, OTOH, would follow the head, as the primary problem in that is cells in the substantia nigra in the brain. Muscle cells themselves work normally, as evidenced by the fact deep brain stimulators fix the tremor.

Blood type will be that of the body. Blood is made in the marrow of long bones predominantly.

spinal muscular atrophy

Proximal spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive disease caused by a genetic defect in the SMN1 gene, which encodes SMN, a protein widely expressed in all eukaryotic cells. SMN is apparently selectively necessary for survival of motor neurons, as diminished abundance of the protein results in loss of function of neuronal cells in the anterior horn of the spinal cord and subsequent system-wide muscle wasting (atrophy).

so the defect is in his spine? new body.. new spine.

Yep, so should be fine*. I think in rare cases muscles of the head and face can be affected but generally not.

*as fine as one can be post such a transplant…

mollwollfumble said:

Arts said:

and onto that body

our neurosurgoen friend who thinks he can transplant a human head onto other body is starting to crumble under the pressure. Once you can’t explain it all to a bunch of peers, you should probably rethink the activity.

My understanding, based on failed attempts using stem cell therapy to repair severed spinal cords, is that nerves retract rapidly when cut, which makes them exceedingly difficult to rejoin. Attempts to rejoin them so far using stem cells have run into the problem that the nerve cells grown from stem cells grow randomly rather than in the correct alignment for reattachment.

Peer pressure, and even conviction of fraudulent conduct, didn’t stop Hwang Woo-Suk, luckily. He succeeded in a large number of cloning projects that had totally defeated his “peers”. Peer reviews can be good or bad. A good peer review is done conscientiously and with altruism. However, all too often, a peer review is done with self-interest in mind and/or with negligible effort on the part of the reviewer.

I still think that head transplants remain possible. Perhaps if spinal nerves are pre-grown in the correct orientation and/or if the head and body are cryogenically frozen using liquid nitrogen immediately after severing and during the surgery.

>>>>Attempts to rejoin them so far using stem cells have run into the problem that the nerve cells grown from stem cells grow randomly rather than in the correct alignment for reattachment.

maybe they should grow the nerve cells while stretching them

I estimated she was an ugly, lungless marine animal with galloping senility! A putrid amphibious gillbreather with (cries) with less brains than a mollusc! … who has all the wit, charm and self-possession of an Alsatian dog after a head-swap operation?