The Mortality and Morality of the Brain
By Meile Roberts
Death has always been an enigma. Even though it technically has two medical definitions, the irreversible cessation of brain and/or cardiopulmonary activity, somehow it is still a mystery what happens after death. For thousands of years, religions and philosophies have tried to make sense of it. Buddhists believe that there is reincarnation, Christians believe that there is heaven and hell, Muslims believe that Allah determines when we die, etc. Yet, we may have to open our eyes to new possibilities of the brain at the end of life because of research done by Yale University Scientists together with Dr. Sam Parnia of NYU Langone Medical Center. Their experiments suggest that the brain lives on after we die, and the events that follow “death” are not related to any religion whatsoever. Instead, the events contain a unique stream of consciousness with a strong focus on morality. Not only does this mean that our definition of “death” is not entirely accurate, but it also could alter our understanding of consciousness. Furthermore, this research raises an alarming ethical question: when is the right time to pronounce a patient as deceased? Death, by its current definition, is currently not reversible, but this research is groundbreaking because it takes us one step closer to uncovering the mystery of the brain’s cellular repair system and gives us the ability to increase the efficacy of organ donations.
About six years ago, Yale University scientists Danielle and Zvonimir Vrselja investigated whether the brain undergoes permanent damage to cellular function when oxygen flow ceases. To stay within the bounds of ethical conduct, as opposed to using human brains, they studied to-be-discarded pig brains at a nearby slaughterhouse. As bizarre as this may sound, they obtained the organs 4 hours after oxygen flow to the pigs’ brains had stopped. Although slightly gruesome, it is worth mentioning that within this 4-hour period, the brains were inside of the decapitated pig heads at room temperature. The scientists injected a combination of preservative and nutritional drugs into these brains for 10 hours using a technique that mimicked the pulsation of the heart. The drugs included Lamotrigine, amino acids, vitamins, metabolites, and hemoglobin mimics. Lamotrigine was used to prevent seizures by decreasing neural activity. Amino acids, vitamins, and metabolites were used to promote cellular health. Hemoglobin mimics were used to carry oxygen (as hemoglobin does). This “cocktail” as the scientists like to call it, was given the name “The BrainEx System.” It proved to be effective as all 32 pig brains showed brain function. Brain function was measured by utilizing EEG machines, measuring oxygen and glucose uptake, and utilizing microscopic and chemical analysis. Although consciousness was not seen in any of the brains, most likely due to the presence of Lamotrigine, there was synaptic and metabolic activity. Most importantly, all 32 pig brains showed zero brain damage.
In a subsequent study by Dr. Parnia, called Aware 2, thousands of people around the world were interviewed. These people all shared one thing in common, near-death experiences (NDEs). This term refers to situations when oxygen stops flowing to the brain and the patient is considered dead. Seconds or minutes later, the patient arises, recalling “visions” they experienced. Dr. Parnia was sure to maintain correct media ethics on this subject by respecting the differing views of death and the afterlife within all participants, maintaining participant confidentiality, and avoiding sensationalizing the results of the experiment. Everyone who participated in the study, regardless of culture and beliefs, had similar recollections of their NDEs. They collectively debunked the popular notion that our life flashes before our eyes in chronological order seconds before we die. Instead, the participants all recalled that their “visions” were solely of interactions between them and others. More specifically, their “visions” focused on how they treated others and what they could have done better. At the end of their “visions”, they all recalled that their truest purposes in life were tied to their morality or lack thereof. Weird, right?
Now how is this possible if someone is considered dead? The brain’s main responsibility is to control bodily functions such as breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. When oxygen flow to the brain stops, the “braking systems” in the brain (specific ion channels where neural firing occurs) are turned off. During an NDE, this drastically affects the tempo-parietal junction, one of the many areas of the brain responsible for altered states of consciousness. So, when the brain’s braking systems stop, the tempo parietal junction allows access to usually blocked states of consciousness. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that this phenomenon is significantly different from dreams and drug induced hallucinations. Scientists can say that with certainty because the spontaneous brain activity that occurs after the brain flatlines looks different on EEG and MRI machines than that of the dreams and drug induced hallucinations.
What potential implications do these experiments have for medical practice? Well, for starters, these findings challenge the current definition of the end of life. Traditionally, a person is considered deceased when they are “brain dead.” Brain death occurs when brain activity stops, and thus bodily functions cannot continue. This research suggests, however, that brain death might not be the end of life. That said, this treatment does not treat terminally ill patients. It cannot cure existing diseases. It is solely for otherwise healthy patients that endured a life-threatening accident, so, if feasible, unfortunately it is not equally accessible. - We should also mention that we are a long way from the BrainEx system being a common practice in medicine. First, the treatment would have to be adjusted to the size and complexity of the human brain and its capabilities. With that, it would need to be tested on human brains, requiring different and more complex protocols and guidelines than the pig brains. Consequently, it may take an extremely long time for this research to reach the point of medically redefining death.
- Apart from feasibility, ethical issues concerning death, afterlife, resuscitation, and organ donation also need consideration. For example, a belief in Judaism states that if a patient is suffering, it is best to let natural death run its course. An opposing law is that it is prohibited to provide a patient with a DNR (do not resuscitate order) in Iran. Along with religion, personal beliefs, and cultural practice, the representation within the media also has to be under HIPAA guidelines. Dr. Parnia successfully kept his patients anonymous because of the sensitivity of the subjects’ individual experiences of death, but as the treatment progresses, it may become more difficult to maintain anomininity. Therefore, it is important that the media does not sensationalize results, disrupt grieving families, or breach patient confidentiality.
Although death remains a mystery, and the exact trajectory of these discoveries remains unknown, we are one step closer to uncovering the beautiful, tragic, and inevitable mystery of death. From these two studies, we found that our definition of death may need to be appended, and that morality surprisingly shapes the perspectives our lives. If the next steps are successful, we may one day be able to postpone the end of life for many patients, but attaining eternal life will remain the domain of religion.