Project outline for the first human head transplantation with spinal linkage • Hacker News Board

Re: Project outline for the first human head transplantation with spinal linkage

#31

Post by bradleyland » Fri, Jun 28, 2013, 1:31 PM UTC

sentinel wrote: post #29

ch wrote: post #15

Considering that a face transplant currently requires a lifetime regimine of immunosuppressives ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Face_transplant#Ethics.2C_Surge... ) in order to have post-op acceptance of the transplant by the host, I would expect nothing less in this more extreme form of surgery. I would hate to be the recipient of this procedure; then fin my body (their body?) rejecting the transplant!

Would it be the body or the head that rejects the transplant? And what would actually happen if it is rejected? Sudden death? Slow death?

Both.

However, in this scenario, the body would have a distinct advantage (if you can call it that), given the disparity in mass and organ distribution. The body would have far more immune system capacity than the head in this case. White blood cells, for example, are produced in the bone marrow.

I'm no doctor, but given the importance of the brain and your spinal cord to even just the nervous system, I'd imagine that death would come rather quickly in an all out rejection.

Re: Project outline for the first human head transplantation with spinal linkage

#32

Post by MonkoftheFunk » Fri, Jun 28, 2013, 1:34 PM UTC

ch wrote: post #15

Considering that a face transplant currently requires a lifetime regimine of immunosuppressives ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Face_transplant#Ethics.2C_Surge... ) in order to have post-op acceptance of the transplant by the host, I would expect nothing less in this more extreme form of surgery. I would hate to be the recipient of this procedure; then fin my body (their body?) rejecting the transplant!

in the article " Immunosuppression is induced by a specific medication regimen and is monitored by the transplant physician and transplant coordinator. Posttransplant blood samples need to be drawn at regular intervals to screen for the development of antidonor antibodies. Ideally, serum is drawn concurrent with obtaining tissue biopsies to facilitate correlation of histology with systemic markers of immunologic activation. Biopsies should be performed regularly for suspected rejection or infection."

Re: Project outline for the first human head transplantation with spinal linkage

#33

Post by flyinRyan » Fri, Jun 28, 2013, 2:54 PM UTC

collin128 wrote: post #16

bradleyboy wrote: post #3

If there ever was a time to wait for version 1.1 of something, this would be it.

Couldn't agree more. I'd hate to be the guy stuck with the buggy beta.

Well, presumably the alternative is to die...

Re: Project outline for the first human head transplantation with spinal linkage

#34

Post by serf » Fri, Jun 28, 2013, 5:37 PM UTC

DanBC wrote: post #30

There's some research that shows our body "chooses" to do something before our mind tells it to. So, swapping the body seems like it could be exciting for this kind of stuff. I think it's fascinating that we can't keep a head alive on a machine (I wonder how much body can be removed and still, using machines, have a living brain / head?) but that we can transplant a head. The paper isn't loading for me at the moment,…

"During the GEMINI procedure, the surgeons will cut the cooled spinal cords with an ultra-sharp blade: This is of course totally different from what happens in clinical spinal cord injury, where gross damage and scarring hinder regeneration. It is this "clean cut" the key to spinal cord fusion, in that it allows proximally severed axons to be "fused" with their distal counterparts. This fusion exploits so-called fusogens/sealants."