Talk about hare-raising science: a team of researchers led by MIT alumnus Robert McIntyre have managed to cryogenically freeze brain and recover a rabbit’s brain without causing any significant damage to neurons and synapses.
According to the Daily Mail, McIntyre and his colleagues reported that the brain is in “near-perfect” condition, and their research indicates that “long term structural preservation of an intact brain is achievable” and could eventually be performed on a human brain.
Credit: Kenneth Hayworth/The Brain Preservation Foundation
The research team, who published their findings in the journal Cryobiology, used a new technique called aldehyde-stabilized cryopreservation (ASC), which uses an organic compound known as glutaraldehyde (typically a sterilizing agent) to stabilize the brain circuitry, then using the vitrification process to preserve tissues by cooling them to extreme temperatures.
By draining the blood from the creature’s head and replacing it with the glutaraldehyde, they were able to hold proteins in place, holding off metabolic decay and preventing the brain from shrinking. When stored at temperatures of -135 degrees Celsius, the brain could theoretically be preserved for hundreds of years, according to Popular Science.
‘Not your father’s cryonics’
For their efforts, McIntyre’s team was named the winner of the Brain Preservation Foundation’s Small Mammal challenge, an initiative that tasked neuroscientists to try and preserve the brain of a mouse or other similar creature without causing significant damage to its biological structure.
In a statement, BPF President Dr. Kenneth Hayworth said, “Every neuron and synapse looks beautifully preserved across the entire brain. Simply amazing given that I held in my hand this very same brain when it was vitrified glassy solid… This is not your father’s cryonics.” He and his organization awarded McIntyre’s team $26,735 for their accomplishments.
“This is a big deal,” BPF co-founder John Smart told Motherboard. “It’s the first time that we have a procedure that can protect everything neuroscientists think is involved with learning and memory. Given the results… it seems to me that long-term memories are successfully preserved by this technique. This is not yet certain… but seems highly likely from my position.”
The Daily Mail said that the researchers believe the rabbit’s long-term memories could very well be intact, but Smart told Motherboard that they do not know that the ASC technique would be able to preserve the creature’s personality traits or consciousness. The agency now intends to launch a similar challenge to scientists to see if these methods can effectively freeze the brain of a larger animal, such as a pig.
“If these techniques can be validated in large animals, we should be able to make them increasingly available in society,” he explained. “I think the question of preservation will be one of the more valuable social conversations we can have… In short, this is a very exciting time to be alive. If things keep moving, that ‘time to be alive’ part may last a while.”
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Feature Image: Thinkstock
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