• Question: Can one survive without a brain, if so for how long?

    Asked by Alanna Senior and Saema K to Adrian, Iroise, Joe, Rachel, Ria on 4 Nov 2016. This question was also asked by Saema, KIBBLEWIBBLE, mrswag.
    • Photo: Joe Bathelt

      Joe Bathelt answered on 4 Nov 2016:

      Unfortunately, survival without a brain would be very short. The lower part of the brain, called the brainstem, regulates a lot of essential functions, including breathing. If the brain was removed the heart would still beat for some time, because the heart can generate its own rhythm. But the lack of oxygen supply through the lungs would soon put an end to it.
      However, if you only removed the outer wrinkled part of the brain, the cortex, then the person could survive. There have been experiments on animals a long time ago that found that the cortex is not necessary to maintain basic body functions like breathing, regulating body function, and swallowing. So, in this very limited sense, a person could survive without a cortex.

    • Photo: Ria Vaportzis

      Ria Vaportzis answered on 7 Nov 2016:

      I’ve heard of a chicken (Mike the Headless Chicken) that was beheaded and survived for a couple of years; however part of the brain (the brain stem) was intact. Similarly, I’ve heard of people that miss parts of their brains (in some cases they miss most of their brain) and survive, but they don’t miss the whole brain.

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