Photo: Pia Kafanke

What is the zombie gene?

These 'zombie genes' — those that increased expression after the post-mortem interval — were specific to one type of cell: inflammatory cells called glial cells. The researchers observed that glial cells grow and sprout long arm-like appendages for many hours after death.

mindmatters.ai - The Zombie Genes That Survive Our Deaths - Mind Matters

Is pasta a good prepper food?

Pasta is a great addition to your food storage. It will break up the monotony of freeze-dried foods and everyone loves a warm bowl of spaghetti....

Last updated Jun 8, 2022

What foods to stock up on in a crisis?

Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, vegetables and a can opener. Protein or fruit bars. Dry cereal or granola. Peanut butter. Dried fruit. Canned...

Last updated Feb 18, 2022

Promotion

Death is an event that is more like a process. Some brain cells even become more active after we die.

Neuroscientist Jeffrey A. Loeb explains:

“Most studies assume that everything in the brain stops when the heart stops beating, but this is not so,” says the study’s corresponding author Jeffrey Loeb, the John S. Garvin Professor and head of neurology and rehabilitation at the UIC’s College of Medicine. Robby Berman, “‘Zombie’ genes in the brain get to work after you die” at Big Think (March 26, 2021)

Jeffrey Loeb/Jenny Fontaine, UIC

He and colleagues discovered gene expression in tissue from brain surgery that did not jive with the expressions observed in living humans, whether or not those humans had any neurological disorders. Because he is director of the University of Illinois Chicago brain tissue bank, Loeb was able to run a simulated death experiment by leaving living brain tissues at room temperature for up to 24 hours, essentially creating the circumstances of natural death for them: These ‘zombie genes’ — those that increased expression after the post-mortem interval — were specific to one type of cell: inflammatory cells called glial cells. The researchers observed that glial cells grow and sprout long arm-like appendages for many hours after death. “That glial cells enlarge after death isn’t too surprising given that they are inflammatory and their job is to clean things up after brain injuries like oxygen deprivation or stroke,” said Dr. Jeffrey Loeb, the John S. Garvin Professor and head of neurology and rehabilitation at the UIC College of Medicine and corresponding author on the paper. Sharon Parmet, “‘Zombie’ genes? Research shows some genes come to life in the brain after death” at UIC Today (March 23, 2021) “Zombie” cells come to life after the death of the human brain/Jeffrey Loeb, UIC

They can’t know that their efforts are futile.

Other types of cells behaved as we might expect:

They found that about 80% of the genes analyzed remained relatively stable for 24 hours — their expression didn’t change much. These included genes often referred to as housekeeping genes that provide basic cellular functions and are commonly used in research studies to show the quality of the tissue. Another group of genes, known to be present in neurons and shown to be intricately involved in human brain activity such as memory, thinking and seizure activity, rapidly degraded in the hours after death. These genes are important to researchers studying disorders like schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease, Loeb said. A third group of genes — the ‘zombie genes’ — increased their activity at the same time the neuronal genes were ramping down. The pattern of post-mortem changes peaked at about 12 hours. Sharon Parmet, “‘Zombie’ genes? Research shows some genes come to life in the brain after death” at UIC Today (March 23, 2021)

What should you not keep in your wallet?

5 Things to Never Keep in Your Wallet Social Security Card. This is the one thing an identity thief would love more than anything go get their...

Last updated Jan 17, 2020

How big will the Big One be?

The 'Big One' is a hypothetical earthquake of magnitude ~8 or greater that is expected to happen along the SAF. Such a quake will produce...

Last updated Oct 26, 2019

Promotion

But after that, the lights began to go out even for the “zombie” glial cells. The researchers hope that their findings will help improve post-mortem examinations. Loeb notes, “The good news from our findings is that we now know which genes and cell types are stable, which degrade, and which increase over time so that results from postmortem brain studies can be better understood.” The findings are also relevant to the question of whether brain death can be reversed. In some cases, it may come down to a question of how many cells have died and of what type. You may also wish to read: Can brain death be reversed? Some researchers are hopeful. They study the salamander, which can regenerate parts of its brain, for answers for brain-injured humans. The lights do not go out all at once at death and interventions that were not possible in 1968 (Harvard definition of brain death) may become possible today.

Note: From the study’s Abstract:

mindmatters.ai - The Zombie Genes That Survive Our Deaths - Mind Matters

What is the strongest sniper weapon?

The Arctic Warfare Magnum rifle, chambered for this ammunition, has an effective range of 1 500 - 1 700 meters. In some cases the . 338 Lapua...

Last updated Jul 22, 2021

Why do they call it Squid Game?

Squid, also known as ojingŏ (Korean: 오징어), is a children's game in South Korea. The game is named as such because the shape of the game board drawn...

Last updated May 13, 2021

Promotion

At what age is the average person financially independent?

By that metric, just 37% of our respondents were considered to be totally off the dole, compared to 63% who remained somewhat dependent....

Last updated Apr 26, 2019

Promotion

Who is best PUBG player in Asia?

Zhu "paraboy" Bocheng is one of the best players in the world solely due to his aiming skills. Bocheng has been quite popular, dominating, and...

Last updated Aug 29, 2019