2 replies to this topic

[nowayout]

I am really curious as to why the idea of head or perhaps brain transplants onto donor or perhaps cloned bodies do not receive more attention from the longevity community. Head transplants have been done successfully on animals. Of course, there is a lot of work to do on spinal cord repair, but the problems seem almost trivial in comparison with something like SENS.

As far as I can see, this is the only realistic hope for achievable significant life extension in our lifetime, making it all the more puzzling that it is never mentioned.

Edited by viveutvivas, 07 April 2011 - 09:28 PM.

[forever freedom]

If the technological Singularit doesn't happen, i agree that this would be one of the better options for radical life extension.

With advances in stem cell research, in 50 years maybe we could successfully transplant a head from an old body to a new one and adapt it successfully. Our "only" problem would then be brain aging, but it'd most certainly be easier than preventing the whole body from aging.

[lunarsolarpower]

Our "only" problem would then be brain aging, but it'd most certainly be easier than preventing the whole body from aging.

Now that we know that neurons can continue to develop throughout life it seems that this might be less of a problem than previously supposed. Perhaps it will become possible to "seed" fresh stem cells into an aging brain and revitalize it.