By Eelco F.M. Wijdicks

After reading Vrselja et al’s recent publication “Restoration of brain circulation and cellular functions hours post-mortem,” I was reminded of the knitting ladies (Tricoteuses), under the guillotine and if they knew when death started. I do not know how Vrselja and his coworkers define death, but they do it microscopically looking at neurons. They claim that they can postpone biochemical decline and swelling with a preservative called BrainEx in decapitated brains of pigs. The brains, 4 hours after their heads were severed from the slaughter house, were connected to an elaborative perfusion device ―through the carotid arteries only― and for a very short 10 hours.

A fresh dead brain with ‘alive’ cells does not surprise me. There is a pedigree of basic scientists trying to isolate the brain. There are published studies demonstrating the retention of somatic functioning following removal of the entire central nervous system. Robert J. White’s “Isolated Brain” experiments maintained “viability” for 7 hours with EEG activity. In my opinion, Dr. White’s experiments went nowhere and I hope that these experiments will go nowhere. This article has raised a lot of wild speculation in the media and I hope that bioethicists can temper their enthusiasm.

Eelco F.M. Wijdicks MD is Professor of Neurology, College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Chair of the Division of Critical Care Neurology and attending in the Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit at Saint Marys Hospital (Mayo Clinic Rochester). He is the founding editor of the journal Neurocritical Care, the official journal of the Neurocritical Care Society. He has single authored 12 books on Neurocritical Care and Brain Death and edited or co-authored 7 additional books all currently in print. He has over 750 research papers, topic reviews and editorials to his credit.

Edited/Authored by Dr. Wijdicks:

Handbook of Clinical Neurology – Critical Care Neurology Part I
Handbook of Clinical Neurology – Critical Care Neurology Part II
Simulation in Acute Neurology

Further reading in Neuroethics:

Series: Development of Neuroethics and Bioethics
Ethical and Legal Issues in Neurology