Nectome has developed a new method to preserve an entire mammalian brain in a state that may allow future scientists to reconstruct the person’s mind (mind uploading), New Scientist reports.
The technique is now being offered to people with terminal illness who choose the time of their death through physician-assisted dying. The goal is to capture the detailed structure of the brain so that one day the person’s thoughts, memories, and personality might be revived, either digitally or in a new biological form.
Timing is very important. Once blood stops flowing, brain cells begin to break down quickly. The new protocol starts preservation almost immediately after the heart stops. A thin tube called a cannula is placed into the heart to flush out the blood and replace it with special chemicals. Aldehydes are substances that create links between molecules and fix the cells in place. Cryoprotectants are chemicals that replace water inside the tissue to stop damaging ice crystals from forming when the brain is cooled. The brain is then cooled to about minus 32 degrees Celsius and can be stored for hundreds of years.
Tested on pigs
The method was first tested on pigs because their brains are similar to human brains.
When the process began within 14 minutes of cardiac arrest, microscopy showed excellent preservation of neurons, synapses, and the tiny molecules inside them.
The preserved brain could allow scientists to map the connectome. This detailed wiring diagram is believed to hold the information needed to understand and possibly recreate a person’s mind. So far, only small parts of a mouse brain have been fully mapped.
The approach uses toxic chemicals for fixation, so the brain is not expected to be biologically alive again. Instead, it aims to keep the structural and molecular information intact for future technology. Some experts question whether a perfect copy of the brain’s connections would truly be the same person or a different entity.
Nectome plans to invite terminally ill individuals to Oregon, where they can spend time with family before the procedure. The work raises deep questions about the boundary between life and death.