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Michelle Star writes at C/net that Surgeon Sergio Canavero, director of the Turin Advanced Neuromodulation Group in Italy, believes he has developed a technique to remove the head from a non-functioning body and transplant it onto the healthy body. According to Canavero's paper published in Surgical Neurology International, first, both the transplant head and the donor body need to be cooled in order to slow cell death. Then, the neck of both would be cut and the major blood vessels linked with tubes. Finally, the spinal cords would be severed, with as clean a cut as possible. Joining the spinal cords, with the tightly packed nerves inside, is key. The plan involves flushing the area with polyethylene glycol, followed by several hours of injections of the same, a chemical that encourages the fat in cell membranes to mesh. The blood vessels, muscles and skin would then be sutured and the patient would be induced into a coma for several weeks to keep them from moving around; meanwhile, electrodes would stimulate the spine with electricity in an attempt to strengthen the new nerve connections.
Head transplants have been tried before. In 1970, Robert White led a team at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, US, that tried to transplant the head of one monkey on to the body of another. The surgeons stopped short of a full spinal cord transfer, so the monkey could not move its body. Despite Canavero’s enthusiasm, many surgeons and neuroscientists believe massive technical hurdles push full body transplants into the distant future. The starkest problem is that no one knows how to reconnect spinal nerves and make them work again. “This is such an overwhelming project, the possibility of it happening is very unlikely,” says Harry Goldsmith.
This experimental study has confirmed a method to avoid cerebral ischemia during the surgery and solved an important part of the problem of how to accomplish long-term survival after transplantation and preservation of the donor brain stem.
http://gizmodo.com/the-crazy-science-behind-a-proposed-human-head-transpla-1688014257
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/06/head-transplant-italian-neuroscientist_n_3533391.html
[Abstract]: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cns.12341/abstract
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 27 2015, @10:25AM
1. There's no waiting list for organs because of bioprinting
2. The body recipient is paralyzed, had stunted growth from a genetic disorder, or worse
The paralyzed may get spine or exoskeleton breakthroughs that are a lot safer before this pans out.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Immerman on Friday February 27 2015, @05:47PM
Nice idea, but do you really see much economic demand for such a thing?
On the other hand, not so ethical but MUCH greater commercial value:
3. Body transplants for the wealthy. How long do you suppose the head could survive if transplanted onto a healthy young body as the old one begins to age? Brain cells don't divide much, so many of the of the normal aging processes don't apply - how many of the remaining processes might be slowed or reversed by maintaining healthy young blood and immune system?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 27 2015, @11:09PM
One of anti-aging's most important targets is the brain. With this whole body transplant, you do nothing to stop Alzheimer's, etc. I don't think you get "healthy young blood and immune system" with this transplant... because you'll be taking anti-rejection drugs to suppress the immune system. Now if you were able to grow an illegal clone and attach your head to it, that might be more interesting to the rich. It's a far greater investment, it's already illegal, but you get around the problem of finding an ideal and accessible donor body.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by SlimmPickens on Friday February 27 2015, @11:05AM
The brain (Medulla) controls breathing (phrenic and thoracic nerves), heart rate (sympathetic cardiac and vagus nerves) and blood pressure (glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves) and probably more besides.
Without a plan to reconnect the nervous system beyond 'apply time and electricity', I don't really see this working.
IANA* and did not read the article.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by dak664 on Friday February 27 2015, @06:56PM
Why not graft the extra head onto a healthy donor? It could see and hear and possibly talk as well. Creeps me out but if someone were to make the procedure available i am sure there would be willing takers.
(Score: 2) by SlimmPickens on Friday February 27 2015, @07:42PM
Sort-of the inverse of mike the chicken (headless for 2 years with intact brainstem). You'd sure want to be attached to someone that was comfortable with people but didn't talk much!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 27 2015, @11:31AM
Heads are gonna roll!
*cue in some Judas Priest
(Score: 5, Funny) by fadrian on Friday February 27 2015, @01:01PM
... when I see Tom Cruise's head on [random young Scientologist]'s body.
That is all.
(Score: 3, Funny) by morgauxo on Friday February 27 2015, @02:32PM
If there is a 7-foot tall Scientologist out there my bet is on him.
(Score: 3, Funny) by fadrian on Friday February 27 2015, @03:53PM
If there is a 7-foot tall Scientologist out there my bet is on him.
Come on... They won't use John Travolta's body.
Besides, I figure, even if they move the head, there's no brain there in either of them, so where's the challenge?
That is all.
(Score: 2) by fadrian on Friday February 27 2015, @09:55PM
And he's even had his face transplanted before, too!!! Maybe this is a great follow-on project! For both of them!!!!!!1!
That is all.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 27 2015, @01:22PM
Can I just buddy up with a member of the opposite sex who also wants a sex change?! Win-Win!
(Score: 3, Insightful) by morgauxo on Friday February 27 2015, @02:34PM
If someone really had a scheme for repairing a severed spinal chord are "head transplants" really the first thing they would be talking about? Sure, I can see how that would eventually come up but wouldn't the first thought be helping all the paralyzed people out there?
(Score: 2) by kaganar on Friday February 27 2015, @02:47PM
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Friday February 27 2015, @05:40PM
Right, so we should test a new spinal-reattachment technology by transplanting a head, because there aren't many other unknowns with such a procedure.
As I recall though, there's actually been some very promising research that's been done with reconnecting surgically severed spinal cords in rats, though I think they usually sever at the waist, presumably in order to avoid all the survival problems associated with disconnecting the brain from the lungs, heart, etc. that rely on external control/regulation. (Yes, a heart can beat on it's own, but I don't think it can adapt to changing bloodflow demands.)
(Score: 2) by morgauxo on Friday February 27 2015, @09:52PM
"There's a big difference between controlled incisions and arbitrary paralysis."
Which is why you make two controled incisions, one on each side of the original injury. Can the remaining chord be stretched to fill the gap? I don't know but even if you had to being in a section of cadaver chord I would think that would be easier than transplanting the whole head!
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 27 2015, @03:23PM
Does this mean I can now have her head on her body?
(Score: 3, Funny) by Jeremiah Cornelius on Friday February 27 2015, @06:10PM
Butterface repair shop. On the same day Spock died.
You're betting on the pantomime horse...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 27 2015, @08:29PM
Didn't Walt Disney have his head frozen for the day they could reattach it?
Interesting to see if it's gonna happen now.
(Score: 1) by Username on Friday February 27 2015, @09:03PM
Weak biological bodies will degrade, should work on mechanical replacements.