Stay Curious

SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AND UNLOCK ONE MORE ARTICLE FOR FREE.

Sign Up

VIEW OUR Privacy Policy


Discover Magazine Logo

WANT MORE? KEEP READING FOR AS LOW AS $1.99!

Subscribe

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

FIND MY SUBSCRIPTION
Advertisement

Researchers Resuscitate Pig Brains Hours After Death

Researchers have revived brain cell activity in pigs postmortem, exploring brain resuscitation with BrainEx technology.

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news

Sign Up

(Credit: janecat/shutterstock) Researchers say they've rebooted pigs’ brains four hours after the animals died. The scientists managed to restore some blood flow and brain cell activity to the dead animals' brains by pumping a protective solution through the tissue using a proprietary technology they call BrainEx. The brain was never alert and researchers did not restore consciousness, but the work could lead to new ways to aid recovery after trauma like heart attacks and strokes, the researchers say. “BrainEx’s cell-protective formulations may someday find application in therapies for disorders such as stroke,” Nenad Sestan, a neuroscientist at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, who led the new research, said in a press announcement.

The brain is a highly sensitive organ. As blood courses through the brain’s blood vessels, it delivers oxygen and other nutrients that our minds needs to survive. And when a blood clot or heart attack ...

Stay Curious

JoinOur List

Sign up for our weekly science updates

View our Privacy Policy

SubscribeTo The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Subscribe
Advertisement

0 Free Articles