Scientists have discovered that organ transplants can have unexpected consequences, such as major changes in personality and sexual orientation.
In a study of 47 participants, a staggering 89% reported personality changes after surgery. South China Morning Post ReportsRegardless of what organ they received.
These changes included shifts in preferences for food, intimacy, and even professional pursuits.
Detail is paper Published in the journal Transplantation In January, a research team from the University of Colorado found that the majority of participants reported personality changes, including “improved social and sexual adjustment” and “spiritual or religious episodes.”
Six of the 47 participants reported a change in “sexual preference.” Some transplant recipients reported inheriting memories of their organ donors. While this sounds like a pretty far-fetched medical theory, it's certainly evidence that such a major surgery causes serious cognitive and emotional upheaval.
The changes described by organ transplant recipients in the new study were not all positive: several also reported negative effects, including depression, anxiety and sexual dysfunction.
It's also possible that the changes have a simpler explanation.
“Many of these changes may have resulted from improved physical health after surgery rather than a transfer of personality from donor to recipient,” said co-author Mitch Riester, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Colorado. South Carolina.
Another problem is the small sample size of just 47 people, and the researchers note in their paper that their findings may be due to “selection bias resulting from recruiting participants to a study explicitly designed to examine personality changes after organ transplantation.”
“Individuals who have not experienced personality change may be less likely to participate in such studies,” the paper reads.
In other words, although more research is needed, the intriguing results suggest that organ transplants don't just affect the patient's physical body.
For more information about organ transplants: Man recovering well after pig heart transplant, doctors report
