5 replies to this topic

[Mind]

DARPA project to cool down brains.

Darpa, the military’s far-out research arm, is looking for research projects that would create a “therapeutic hypothermia device” to prevent traumatic brain injuries from causing permanent molecular damage to the brain. The idea is based on successful studies that used cortical cooling to treat survivors of strokes and cardiac arrest. According to Darpa’s solicitation, cooling down the brain after trauma can offer “dramatic neuroprotection” that will prevent long-term harm to cognition and motor skills.

Although this is not anything close to cryonics, maybe one of the 3 cryonics organizations in the world could offer up a modicum of expertise. In any case, this treatments news along with this past study, and this too, keeps the idea of cooling (or freezing) the body percolating in the public consciousness. Brian would say, this stuff has been known for 40 years, and it hasn't helped the legitimacy of cryonics all that much. That might be so, but every little nugget of information reaching the public has got to help a little.

[Luke Parrish]

DARPA project to cool down brains.

Darpa, the military's far-out research arm, is looking for research projects that would create a "therapeutic hypothermia device" to prevent traumatic brain injuries from causing permanent molecular damage to the brain. The idea is based on successful studies that used cortical cooling to treat survivors of strokes and cardiac arrest. According to Darpa's solicitation, cooling down the brain after trauma can offer "dramatic neuroprotection" that will prevent long-term harm to cognition and motor skills.

Although this is not anything close to cryonics, maybe one of the 3 cryonics organizations in the world could offer up a modicum of expertise. In any case, this treatments news along with this past study, and this too, keeps the idea of cooling (or freezing) the body percolating in the public consciousness. Brian would say, this stuff has been known for 40 years, and it hasn't helped the legitimacy of cryonics all that much. That might be so, but every little nugget of information reaching the public has got to help a little.

If this device becomes available for civilian use, it may be a good thing to help prevent your cause of death from being stroke or head trauma. Either of these things can reduce the quality of preservation. If cryopreservation can happen before the cascading effects of ischemia get a chance to set in, a person's chances could be greatly increased.

[Mind]

Another push for inducing hypothermia to prolong lives during trauma situations. Per usual, the FDA is standing squarely in the way.

Of course, cryonics enthusiasts would tell you this was known for decades. Hey mainstream medicine, what took you so long?

Edited by Mind, 14 November 2011 - 10:11 PM.

[mpe]

As it will against every life extending/ youth restoring proceedure, regardless of suffering and needless deaths it causes. The FDA that is

[Mind]

Hey mainstream medicine, what took you so long?!

More medical practitioners questioning the definition of clinical death and investigating cooling methods to prolong life in traumatic situations.

When human cells are abruptly cut off from the steady supply of oxygen, nutrients and cleaning services that blood flow normally provides them, they can hold out in their membranes for a surprisingly long time. In fact, the true survivalists in your body may not die for many days after you've lost circulation, consciousness and most of the other things most people consider integral parts of living. If doctors can get to the patient before these cells have crashed, re-animation is still a possibility.

[Mind]

Scientists remain surprisingly conflicted about what it means to die -- and it has big implications for us all

Hey "Scientists" what took you so long?

Longecity/SENS/Alcor have been trying to more rigorously define death for decades.