X-Message-Number: 15554
From: 
Date: Sun, 4 Feb 2001 17:45:07 EST
Subject: rabbit report

The text of the report by Pichugin, Marchenko, and Shilo entitled BIOELECTRIC 
ACTIVITY OF CRYOPRESERVED BRAIN PIECES OF A RABBIT has now been added to our 
web site. The tables and graphs, unfortunately, have been compromised by 
computer problems and will be delayed.

Needless to say, there will be disagreement as to how significant this work 
may be. As far as I know, it is at the frontier of this sort of 
investigation. The authors appear to believe that it shows a significant 
degree of retention of integrated bioelectric activity in networks of 
neurons--a first after rewarming from liquid nitrogen temperature. Glycerol 
was the cryoprotectant. Controls without the cryoprotectant did not show such 
activity. 

In slightly more detail, it appears that the majority of the rewarmed 
cryoprotected neurons are somewhat functional and the majority of synapse 
contacts are preserved, and membranes of neurons and their processes are 
intact; and the cells as a whole are alive at least to some extent.

What it boils down to, as it appears to me, is that this study is very much 
in line with our microscopy results. That is, there is substantial loss or 
damage, but also substantial retention of structure and function. I would 
call it highly encouraging.

Robert Ettinger
Cryonics Institute
Immortalist Society
http://www.cryonics.org

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