Neuroscientist claims that head transplantation is possible

Dr. Sergio Canavero has claimed that head transplantation is medically possible.

The head transplant (or body, depending on how you look at it) is a surgical procedure that has been the subject of several films and television series, such as the classic Frankenstein or the Matt Groening series Futurama.

However, the famous publication Surgical Neurology International reported a few days ago the research carried out by Dr. Sergio Canavero at the University of Turin at the University of Turin, which concludes that head transplantation is medically medically possibleand details the procedure by which it could be achieved.

Head transplant: science fiction or reality?

Dr. Canavero is based on a controversial research that took place in 1970.. A year after the arrival of man on the Moon, Dr. Robert Whites was able to transplant the head of a rhesus monkey into the body of another specimen, as well as in dogs and rabbits where they were also successful, demonstrating that the reinsertion of the head into a body is not impracticable.

Canavero comments that it is necessary for this procedure to cool the animal's head and spinal column to 18°C, and to make "clean cuts" using a super-sharp scalpel, with the aim of separate the two spinal cords and then drain the Blood from the transplanted subject's head before joining the two spinal cords by means of an inorganic polymer, which functions as an adhesive.

In the experiment, Canavero also states that it can be particularly complicated to ensure correct integration of all the nerve fibers, but notes that a few correct connections would be sufficient to obtain some degree of voluntary control of movements. The stimulation of the spinal cord (SCS) by means of electrical microdischarges would also help to improve the plasticity of the nerve cells, which would result in the brain gradually taking control of its new body.

Canavero emphasizes that this procedure needs to be studied in depth in the future, as it could give hope to people suffering from severe diseases and illnesses.

It may seem absurd to think about the possibility of transplanting a head, but the truth is that a review of the science of medicine in recent times shows that some procedures that seemed like science fiction, such as face transplants, are now a reality. It may only be a matter of time before medical technology makes the first head transplant possible.

• Source: The Verge