X-Message-Number: 28685
Date: 25 Nov 2006 00:02:48 -0000
From: "Kevin Q. Brown" <>
Subject: Re: Brain Cell Death due to Oxygen Deprivation

Joseph W. Morgan was told that "minutes after death the brain
is irreparably damaged and therefore cryonics cannot work".

The problem is reperfusion injury.  The brain cells do not die
within a few minutes, but the vasculature changes so that it is
difficult to restore and maintain normal circulation afterward.
Then, without intervention, the brain cells would die within a
few hours.  Of course, cryonics organizations are well aware of
this and have taken steps to reduce the injury.

Here are some pointers to more information:

http://www.alcor.org/FAQs/faq02.html#resuscitation
Doesn't the brain die after 4 to 6 minutes without oxygen?

http://www.benbest.com/cryonics/CryoFAQ.html#_VJ_
Don't brain cells die after a few minutes without oxygen ?

For more details:

http://www.alcor.org/Library/html/ischemic.html
The Pathophysiology of Ischemic Injury

http://www.benbest.com/cryonics/ischemia.html
Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury in Cryonics

As Will Rogers said in a different context:
  "The problem is not what we don't know.
  It is what we do know that isn't true."

Kevin Q. Brown

(Please include "cryonics" or "CryoNet" in the subject line.)

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