The concept of “cryosleep” has always been considered a distant reality. For anyone wondering, the idea is moving from the realm of science fiction to the laboratory, where “frozen brains” are being reawakened in unprecedented research.
While the idea of ​​cryopreservation. Freezing a body or organ to later revive it has long been suspected, and researchers have recently achieved a significant breakthrough using mouse brain tissue that causes “ice crystal” damage.
In a recent breakthrough, researchers in Germany have successfully preserved and regenerated rat brain tissue with functional biological processes.
Previously, attempts to revive cryopreserved brains were only successful at the cellular level but failed to restore brain functionality.
The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Provides unique insights into why the brain’s machinery has been restored.
For example, the team observed the neuronal firing that characterizes the ability of brain cells to respond to electrical stimuli. Active mitochondrial function without metabolic damage was also observed.
It was also found that the brain strengthened the synaptic pathways that are the biological basis of learning and memory during the experiment.
When scaled up to the entire organ, the team successfully recorded functional hippocampal pathways after melting.
“Advances like this slowly turn science fiction into scientific possibility,” said Mrityunjay Kothari, who studies mechanical engineering at the University of New Hampshire in Durham.
The researchers used a “vitrification” method to avoid the crystal ice damage that is responsible for puncturing or displacing the neurons’ delicate nanostructures.
Will humans benefit in the future?
The researchers are hoping to extend their research from rat brain tissue to the human brain.
“We already have preliminary data showing feasibility in human cortical tissue,” said Alexander German, a neurologist at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany and lead author of the study.
Additionally, the team also plans to use vitrification for cryopreservation of the heart, with the aim of establishing an organ bank for transplantation.
However, the study includes several limitations. For example, larger organs may suffer thermomechanical stresses and cracks due to heat-transfer barriers.
German expressed hope that “better vitrification solutions and cooling and rewarming technologies will be necessary before these principles can be applied to larger human organs.”
