History helps us understand the changes in personality of organ transplants, experts say: Sciencealert

From meat-craving vegetarians to changes in sexual preferences, some organ transplant patients report changes to personality that reflect those of organ donors.

a 2024 Research By suggesting that organs convey memories and emotions, they challenge “traditional views of memory and identity,” and the findings raise “ethical and philosophical questions” about transplantation.

However, in my medical history, both are already familiar topics. Doctor J. Andrew Armor I insisted that There are memories in my heart And the emotions of 1991. Also, is there anything new about suggesting organ transplantation? Since its founding in the 1950s.

The authors of this study are not involved in the cultural history of organ donation or its ethnic, religious or historical background. Without understanding these, research and media coverage can be persistent Frankenstein Style Horror Myth Regarding porting, Already emotional and ethics Minefield.

For decades, researchers have been studying whether memories and emotions can be remembered, The history of medicine and emotions Please show why the question is important. It is the heart and the center of the self – is appreciated by all cultures from The weight of the hearts of ancient Egyptians In modern times Valentine's Day Card – It tells the emotional truth.

I am a historian of medicine, emotions and body. Written in 2010 Mind Problems: History, Medicine, Emotionsa history of emotional, physical and mental importance. My research shows that before the advent of scientific medicine, the mind was considered the centre of emotions and memory.

English doctor William Harvey Popularization of the circulatory blood model in 1628 – first theorized by 13th century Arab doctors Ibn al-Nafis. This has been replaced Gallen's theory from 2,000 years ago The blood was produced in the liver and burned by the body.

Once the mind was understood as a pump, the brain was promoted to the centre of thoughts, memories and emotions. The passion of the soulWe explored the relationship between the mind and body. Gradually, this secular view of the heart spreads – the mechanical pump model still You can teach it at school.

And while few cardiologists believe that heart disease (the heart of a complex chemical system) is a simple organ, they most prefer to think of the mind as the soul's seat.

“How,” one of the famous heart transplant surgeons asked me, “Can I cut it out of a man's body?”

Not all organs are emotionally meaningful. I Research face transplantation – Faces are more emotional than heartfelt. The face and mind convey emotions.

It is difficult to be sentimental about the spleen, kidneys, or small intestines. Therefore, it is not all organs that carry memory and meaning, but the heart in particular.

But what about xenografts when non-human tissues, cells and organs are used to treat humans? Become a recipient of GMO-modified pig heart Remember their time in the trough?

There is growing evidence suggesting cellular memory It exists in some way – In other words, cells that hold information about past events stored outside the brain. Besselvan der Cork's Thoughts “My body maintains a score.”although not scientifically proven, it is familiar to trauma research. Intergenerational study of slavery and Holocaust survivors.

but, 2024 Research It only provides an overview of existing work, but some of it just includes 10 patientsunclear results. The study also previously cites a largely anecdotal explanation that heart transplant recipients may experience changes in food, music, and even sexual preferences.

For example, Claire Sylvia The coveted chicken nuggetlike her donor. But does the chicken nugget's memory remain in the intestines? The intestines are more important than ever In understanding emotions and mental illnesses, including schizophrenia.

There is also an established intestinal brain axis (a two-way communication system between the brain and gastrointestinal tract, but this is not a discussion of the possibility that organ transplants can change the personality of a patient, but rather a discussion of the limitations of science. It may not be. A drug that divides the mind and body very neatly and into problems.

Cultural context

Memory and emotions are driven not simply by biological phenomena, but by the environment, experience, and relationships. They are informed by cultural contexts, like beliefs about the mind.

For example, in Thailand and Japan, there is a more pronounced medical interest in the spiritual mind. Japan doesn't recognize it Brain death until 1985 For this reason. Therefore, intercultural comparisons are necessary to understand that the narratives of memory transfer in heart transplants are universal.

And the study does not discuss the complex cultural and psychological reasons people may find that they have changed taste and attitudes after organ transplantation. heart Transplant surgery is the main surgery It can evoke fear, gratitude, hope and longing, and feelings of post-traumatic stress disorder. Survivor's guilt.

Become a bride Found recipient of her father's heart Because she wanted him to walk her down the aisle. Patients can listen to the conversation and read between the lines. In immunosuppressants Can have a conversion effect Patient emotions.

Therefore, there are many reasons why exceptional stories of these personality changes may exist. And they are exceptional – Austrian studies It was found that out of 47 heart transplant recipients, 79% reported no change.

There is further need for organ donations and discussions about the mind and body of modern medicine, but it focuses on the most pressing issues. and how to change why there is no real participation in psychological and physical health care.

whether informed consent is working and Xenograft (using animal parts) And organ formation (growing organs) is the path to the future. Another argument is about how much hospital liability for transplant patients extends beyond surgical theatres, especially in the US context of privatized healthcare.

Now I'm worried about what will happen to UK transplant patients who will be crushed as well by expensive drugs if they don't save the NHS. Not only does it support research based on strict ethical standards and evidence, but it also needs these discussions among many things. False information about scienceto avoid media Sensationalism.

Fay Bound AlbertiProfessor of Modern History and Future Leader Fellow of Ukuri, King's College London

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