Wednesday 10 August 2011

Brain may still be living a minute after decapitation

Brain may still be living a minute after decapitation
Web edition : Friday, July 22nd, 2011
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Electrodes capture a large wave of activity moving through rat brains about 50 seconds after decapitation.C. van Rijn et al/PLoS One 2011

Almost a minute after a rat's head is severed from its body, an eerie shudder of activity ripples through the animal's brain. Some researchers think this post-decapitation wave marks the border between life and death. But the phenomenon can be explained by electrical changes that, in some cases, are reversible, researchers report online July 13 in PLoS ONE.

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