Most countries use brain death as the deciding factor.
Meaning you body can be held alive artificially, but if the brain isn’t working, you are dead, and there is no chance of coming back.
Of course if the heart hasn’t been beating for 5 minutes and you are not kept artificially alive, you are probably considered dead too.
Our mind is dependent on the exact wiring and firing potentials of the neurons. This is what stores everything (skills, memories, autonomic functions etc).
When the neurons die, this information is rapidly lost. Connections break, and triggering potentials collapse.
Reversing brain death involves reversing that process. It would almost be easier to digitise the brain and simulate it at that point.
What might be possible is localised repairs. Strokes can take out small, but critical areas of the brain. Rebuilding a speech center is a lot easier. The brain can distribute a lot of functions, if required. Putting new material in and letting it both learn to use it, and teach it to function is within the realms of medicine. It’s the difference however between a skin graft and rebuilding a limb that’s been through a wood chipper from the bucket of parts.
Most countries use brain death as the deciding factor.
Meaning you body can be held alive artificially, but if the brain isn’t working, you are dead, and there is no chance of coming back.
Of course if the heart hasn’t been beating for 5 minutes and you are not kept artificially alive, you are probably considered dead too.
Wondering if ever in the future we’ll be able to reverse brain death…
Our mind is dependent on the exact wiring and firing potentials of the neurons. This is what stores everything (skills, memories, autonomic functions etc).
When the neurons die, this information is rapidly lost. Connections break, and triggering potentials collapse.
Reversing brain death involves reversing that process. It would almost be easier to digitise the brain and simulate it at that point.
What might be possible is localised repairs. Strokes can take out small, but critical areas of the brain. Rebuilding a speech center is a lot easier. The brain can distribute a lot of functions, if required. Putting new material in and letting it both learn to use it, and teach it to function is within the realms of medicine. It’s the difference however between a skin graft and rebuilding a limb that’s been through a wood chipper from the bucket of parts.
That would seem extremely unlikely, as a brain that’s been inactive for just a few minutes, if the person is revived, there is heavy brain damage.
Sounds like you just need more frequent snapshots
Probably not