How did the human head transplant end? Transplanting a head onto a new body. Is this possible? Whether a head transplant

The science that studies organ transplantation is called transplantology. Just a few decades ago, the movement of tissue from one organism to another was considered something incredible. In modern surgical practice, transplantation internal organs widespread. This is mostly practiced in developed countries with high level medical support. Liver, kidney, and heart transplants are successfully performed. In recent years, doctors have begun performing limb transplants. Despite the high professionalism of surgeons, some operations end in failure. After all, the body does not always “accept” foreign organs. In some cases, tissue rejection may occur. Despite this, a famous practicing surgeon from Italy decided to take an incredible risk. The doctor is planning a head transplant operation. To many, this idea seems incredible and doomed to failure. However, surgeon Sergio Canavero is confident that head transplantation will be a huge breakthrough in medicine. To date, studies and attempts have been carried out to implement this manipulation on laboratory animals.

Head transplant surgery: description

In 2013, an Italian surgeon made a sensational statement to the whole world. He planned an operation to transplant the head of a living person onto the body of a corpse. This procedure has become of interest to people suffering from serious diseases that cause immobilization. Surgeon Sergio Canavero has already contacted the intended head donor. He turned out to be a young man from Russia. The patient was diagnosed with a severe pathology of the nervous system - congenital spinal muscle atrophy. At the moment, Valery Spiridonov is 30 years old. Despite quality care, his condition is rapidly deteriorating. The only functioning part of the patient's body is the head. Valery Spiridonov is aware of all the risks of the planned event, but he agrees to go for it. The first human head transplant operation is scheduled to take place in 2017.

Sergio Canavero estimates that the transplant will take about 36 hours. To carry out all stages of the operation, more than 100 qualified surgeons will be needed. During the transplant, doctors will change several times. A head transplant is a very complex surgical procedure. To carry it out successfully, you will need to connect many vessels, nerve fibers, bones and soft tissues of the neck. The most difficult stage of the operation will be the fastening of the spinal cord. For this purpose, a special glue based on polyethylene glycol was produced. Thanks to this substance, the growth of neurons occurs. Each stage of the operation is considered risky and can result in death. However, this does not frighten patient Valery Spiridonov. The doctor who planned the sensational operation is also optimistic. Canavero is almost confident of a favorable outcome of the procedure.

Ethical aspects of head transplantation

A topic such as human head transplantation causes heated emotions and controversy not only among doctors. In addition to the difficulties in performing a transplant and the risks to the patient’s life, there is another side to the coin. Thus, many people consider the planned procedure unacceptable from religious and ethical points of view. Indeed, it is difficult to comprehend that the head of a living person will be separated from the body and attached to the neck of a dead person. However, people suffering from severe progressive pathologies do not have to think about ethics. For many patients, a head transplant will be an incredible miracle. After all, people doomed to disability will have a new body. Due to the fact that the operation has not yet been carried out and its outcome is unknown, the public has a controversial attitude towards this issue.

Research

The first research in the field of head transplantation was the experiment of scientist Charles Guthrie. It was held in 1908. The experiment involved transplanting a second head onto the dog's neck. The animal did not live long, but it was possible to note a slight reflex activity of the transplanted body part.

In the 1950s, Russian scientist Vladimir Demikhov managed to achieve better results. Although his laboratory animals also did not survive long after transplantation, the transplanted heads were fully functional. Demikhov significantly reduced the time of hypoxia of separated tissues. Similar operations on dogs were later carried out by Chinese scientists. In the 1970s, White transplanted a head into a monkey. At the same time, the animal’s sense organs functioned.

In 2002, experiments were conducted on laboratory rats in Japan. As for the planned intervention, polyethylene glycol was used. The dissected tissues were refrigerated to prevent cell death. In addition, Sergio Canavero stated that his latest research involving monkeys has recently resulted in a head transplant. It ended happily. The scientist regards the positive result as a signal to conduct an experiment on humans. If the public and scientific community approve of this project, people will soon learn about its results.

Human head transplant: the opinion of scientists

Despite positive attitude Italian surgeon, scientists and doctors do not share his enthusiasm. Most of them do not believe in the success of the venture. In addition, many doctors believe that head transplants are unacceptable for ethical reasons. The pessimism of colleagues does not in any way affect the scientist’s decision. Canavero recently said that the transplant would take place with the consent of the state board members.

For what diseases is surgery necessary?

At the moment, it is too early to say whether such an operation will be performed in practice in the future. However, if the outcome is favorable, the scientist will experience incredible success. If head transplantation becomes possible, many patients will gain healthy bodies. Indications for transplantation include:

1. Tetraplegia developed against the background of cerebrovascular accident.
2. Muscular spinal atrophy.
3. Injuries spinal cord at the level of the cervical vertebrae.

Difficulties of surgical intervention

A head transplant is a technically complex procedure. During its implementation, doctors may encounter many difficulties. Among them:

1. Tissue death during head separation. To prevent this, scientists intend to cool the head to 15 degrees. At the same time, neurons must maintain their viability.
2. Risk of rejection of the transplanted body part.
3. Long-term connection of the spinal cord after surgery. To ensure that the nerve tissue is properly mapped, the patient is scheduled to be placed in coma for 1 month.

Possible outcomes of head transplant surgery

Considering that such operations have not been performed on people before, the outcome of this procedure is impossible to predict. Even if all manipulations are performed correctly, it is unknown how this experiment may end. Scientists do not exclude the possibility that the spinal cord will be damaged and the patient will not be able to move. However, even in this case, the operation will be an incredible breakthrough in transplantology.

Head transplant cost

How much does a head transplant cost and when will it be introduced into practice? It is not yet possible to answer these questions. Nevertheless, some information is available. Thus, equipment assessment and necessary materials for the planned transplant showed that the cost would be about $11 million. Moreover, in case favorable outcome Long-term rehabilitation will be required. According to the Italian scientist, the patient will be able to move independently a year after the operation.

Is a brain transplant possible? How will this process take place? Will the personality change, will new habits develop, or will everything remain the same? And who will be “at the helm”: the person whose brain was transplanted, or the one in whose body the new brain is located? And probably the most interesting question, which interests many: is it possible to cheat death with the help of transplantation, transfer your personality to another body and live forever?

Scientists' opinions

Scientists have been studying the issue of brain transplantation for many decades, and have still not come to a consensus regarding the possibility of this procedure. Although just recently it was unrealistic to imagine that a person’s head could be transferred to another body, this year the Italian neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero performed such a successful operation. The patient, however, was a corpse.

Angelique Bordey, a professor at Yale University, believes that a brain transplant is possible, although for positive result It is also necessary to transplant the spinal one, because otherwise the person will not be able to move independently.

In answer to the question of whether the personality and “soul” will be preserved, there is no clear answer. As our bodies grow and develop, our brains change, and the individual's personality will undoubtedly undergo changes during the transplant and recovery process. First of all, due to psychological shock.

The professor says that even a human brain transplant will not give him eternal life. After all, this organ, like any other part of the body, ages. Scientists know how to successfully replace a heart, lungs or kidneys with artificial ones, but they cannot perform a brain transplant. This can lead to neurodegeneration, which can lead to cancer or intellectual decline.

The famous neurosurgeon Khalid Abbed believes that such an operation is quite possible, but for it to be successful it is necessary to be able to connect the nerve fibers of the organ with the spinal cord. This is incredibly difficult, because any spinal cord injury leads to irreversible or severe consequences.

After successful surgery, the patient's personality is expected to change. Internally, he will become similar to the recipient whose brain was used. After all, it is he who is responsible for the individuality of each person.

Professor of neurosurgery Konstantin Slavin believes that in the foreseeable future science will reach the point where bodies for brain transplants can be created artificially. This will help preserve the patient’s individuality, because the body will be “clean”, without memories.

But even this will not allow a person to cheat death and live forever. Over the years, the brain stops working fully, it ages, and this process remains unchanged. To solve the problem of immortality, it is necessary to find a medicine that will force cells to renew themselves. After all, it is the stopping of cell renewal that leads to the aging of the body.

The first step has been taken

In the fall of 2017, the first head transplant operation was performed on a living person. They transplanted it onto a dead body, but everything went well. The operation was performed by Dr. Zhen Xiaoping, who had tried transplanting monkey heads a little earlier.

Preparation for transplantation lasted almost 3 years. The patient was a programmer from Russia Valery Spiridonov, who was diagnosed with back muscle dystrophy. At first it was assumed that the operation would last 36 hours, but the skill of Chinese doctors was able to reduce the process by almost half.

Operation leader Sergio Canavero says the head transplant is the first step towards a successful human brain transplant. This is the ultimate goal of the entire project. It was created after a statement in 2011 by Dmitry Itskov, a billionaire who planned to transplant a human brain into a cyborg by 2045.

Canavero says China is fighting deadly diseases and its goal is to defeat the aging process, which is also considered a disease and requires treatment.

The unresolved problem of human brain transplantation is the impossibility of complete restoration of the spine. Experiments conducted in which the heads of mice and dogs were transplanted showed that ethylene glycol introduced into the spine incision helps restore neural connections much more effectively, which increases the chance of successful completion of the operation.

Not so long ago, carrying out such an operation was a fantasy, but today transplantology is successfully moving in this direction. The possibility of brain transplantation into another body would help thousands of terminally ill people. The disabled would be able to walk again, the blind and deaf would be able to see and hear.

Such an operation would give a chance for a normal and fulfilling life to people with diseases of the musculoskeletal system. After all, it is possible not only to transplant a brain, but also to restore damaged areas of nerve connections in the spine.

Barriers to transplantation

When talking about transplanting a brain into another body, people do not think about the fact that there is also a negative side of the coin, which is far from so rosy and carefree. Is it possible to transplant a brain, will it be damaged during the operation, how will the body perceive such stress, will it affect the psyche?

Transplantation is incredibly difficult. When transplanting any other organ important role plays its fusion with the new body. Each piece of tissue, nerve, and vessel must be properly connected to each other. Damage to nerve fibers in the brain prevents signals from passing between the organ and the body, so the brain cannot properly respond to stimuli and control the corresponding tissues.

Damage during transplantation is inevitable. It takes a lot of time after the operation for the body to restore the previous connections and for the blood vessels and nerve endings to grow together.

The success of the operation depends on the human body and its immune system. Protective function the body rejects all foreign elements, so it may not accept and new organ. To stop the immune system from working, the patient takes immunosuppressants before the transplant. They increase the chance of a successful operation, but the chance of contracting the disease also increases.

The danger of brain transplantation is associated with its connection to the spinal and bone. Their connection helps transmit signals through the largest nerve, the damage to which cannot yet be repaired. If this nerve is disconnected, then our brain will not be able to receive signals from other organs and systems. Only the ability to chew and move the facial muscles will remain.

Neither the lungs, kidneys or heart will be able to function anymore. This will lead to the death of the patient. Even if the brain lives, the body will remain motionless, dead. And when it is possible to successfully remove an organ from the skull and transplant it into another person, some parts may be damaged, which will lead to the loss of some functions. Therefore, transplantation is possible only with the head.

Head transplant

Scientists believe that the brain can live separately from the body. After all, the experience of doctors shows that even after long stay in a state, the patient can recover and live a full life. This suggests that the brain is not yet fully understood. If the transplant process is carried out correctly, all functions and memory will be preserved, and the patient’s intelligence and thinking abilities will not be affected.

If you transplant not the organ itself, but the head, then the chance of damage is minimized. But the problem of the new body’s rejection of foreign tissue still remains. The immune barrier is still insurmountable. Experiments on animals have shown that the head can function on a new body, but the duration of its life is extremely short.

Science is constantly evolving, so in the future it will be possible to overcome the immune barrier. The chances that foreign tissue will take root are small, but they exist. After all, if the head in the new body does not perform its functions, then why do such an operation at all?

It is much more effective to use specially created systems that will help make life easier for paralyzed people than to try to transplant their brain into another body.

The famous theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking uses a “smart” system to communicate with people. His body is paralyzed, only one finger on his hand and a muscle on his face work. The upgraded chair has a speech synthesizer connected to the finger, and a sensor is connected to the cheek that allows you to control the computer.

Some scientists believe that it is much easier to grow new cells than to transplant a brain. While the head is in saline solution, a new body can be created from one cell that will not be rejected. It will be considered its own, only renewed, so all the tissues will be able to fully take root and will not die off.

Controversial issues

To immune system did not reject the new organ, it is necessary to find two patients who will be histocompatible. That is, when transplanting, it is important to find a body that is ideal as a donor.

When talking about a brain transplant to another person, it is difficult to understand who to call a donor and who to call a recipient. After all, in theory, a donor is the person whose organ is transplanted. But if a brain transplant is performed along with a person’s memory and personality, then the body is the recipient.

The question of where to store the separated head while the operation lasts has not been resolved. The brain can live separately for no more than 7 minutes, and then the neurons die off, and it is no longer possible to restore the lost areas. Successful completion of the transplant requires much more time than 7 minutes.

It is necessary to find a suitable place for the operation, equipment, and comply with all conditions. Many countries prohibit organ transplants, which also needs to be taken into account.

Is it possible to transplant a human brain? Scientists believe that it is too early to talk about successful implementation operations, because a full recovery process, both psychological and physical, is practically impossible.

Announced a successful experiment in “transplanting” a head into a corpse in China. He stated this at a press conference in Vienna, reports Guardian .

According to the surgeon, the team from Medical University Harbin (China) has "performed the first head transplant" and surgery on a living person is now "imminent." The operation, he said, took 18 hours and was carried out by his Chinese colleague Zhen Xiaoping, who a year ago allegedly conducted the first monkey head transplant experiment.

“The first head transplant on a human corpse has been carried out. A complete transplant from a brain-dead donor will be the next step,” Canavero said. “For too long, nature has dictated its rules to us. We are born, grow, grow old and die. Over millions of years man evolved and 100 billion people died.

We are entering an era where we will take our destiny into our own hands. This will change everything. It will change you on every level,” said Canavero, speaking at a press conference. “Everyone said it was impossible, but the operation was successful.”

It is not yet clear whose bodies were used in the Chinese experiment, but Canavero promised that scientific article about cadaveric head transplantation will be released in the coming days. In the coming days, Canavero promised to name the date of the operation, which he had previously promised to carry out before the end of 2017.

According to Canavero, it was decided to carry out the first live human head transplant operation in China, since his initiatives did not find support among the medical community in Europe and the United States. Canavero also talked about politics during his speech.

Transplant surgeon Paolo Macchiarini also considered the operation impossible, and openly called Canavero a criminal:

“How can one even imagine such an operation? Personally, I think he's a criminal. Firstly, there is no scientific basis for this. Secondly, this is already something from the field of transhumanism... How can the brain of one person suddenly begin to function when attached to another body?”

He stated.

The prospects for transplanting the head of a living person seem even more cloudy upon closer examination of the specifics of the operation. First, nerves scar easily during surgery, and it is not clear how Canavero and his colleagues are going to deal with this problem during an operation that will last more than a day.

Secondly, the possibility of using immunosuppressive drugs has not yet been studied - they are necessary for any operation with donor organs.

Third, there is no evidence to support Canavero's claims that only a small percentage of nerve fibers will be enough to restore some functions. These are far from the only weaknesses in the planned operation on a living person, but they are already enough to consider the chances of success to be very modest.

In China, a head was transplanted from one dead person to another for the first time. Initially, it was planned that the head of Russian programmer Valery Spiridonov would be transplanted onto the donor’s body, but the story had a sad ending. The surgeon refused to operate on a patient from Russia.

On Friday, November 17, the world's first human head transplant took place in China. True, the head was transplanted from one dead body to another.

The point of such a transplant was to successfully connect the spinal cord, nerves and blood vessels. And as surgeon Sergio Canavero assured, he succeeded quite successfully. Previously it was planned to have a head transplant Russian programmer Valery Spiridonov. But this story ended sadly - the operation was cancelled.

The beginning of the story

Let us recall that at the beginning of 2015, Italian doctor Sergio Canavero announced that he was ready to transplant a head from a living volunteer onto a donor body. Russian programmer Valery Spiridonov saw this information and could not help but respond. The fact is that Spiridonov is suffering congenital disease- Werdnig-Hoffman syndrome. Because of this, his back muscles have almost completely atrophied. That is, the 32-year-old guy is practically immobilized, and over time this situation gets worse. The surgeon met with Valery personally and became convinced of the sincerity of his intentions and his willingness to take risks.

Fact! Despite the fact that Valery practically cannot move without help wheelchair, he leads an active life. The guy has been working since he was 16 years old, he is a successful programmer. Travels a lot, constantly communicates with interesting people. Therefore, as he himself said in an interview, you should not think that he wants to die in this way.

The operation was scheduled for December 2017. The doctor and patient had no doubt that finding a donor would be difficult. But it is possible, because every day people get into fatal car accidents, and some are sentenced to death. It was among them that it was planned to find a donor body.

However, these plans never came to fruition. The fact is that the sponsor of the operation, the Chinese Government, insists that the patient be a citizen of this country. In addition, it is important that the donor is the same race as the patient. It is not possible to transplant Spiridonov's head onto the Chinese body. That is why all preparations for the operation had to be frozen. And it’s difficult to say whether Spiridonov will be operated on in the future.

The essence of the operation

Previously, Sergio conducted similar successful experiments only on mice. He transplanted the head from one mouse to another. But the operation to transplant the head of a monkey was unsuccessful. Firstly, the spinal cord was not connected, only blood vessels. Secondly, the animal then experienced severe suffering, and doctors had to euthanize it after 20 hours. This is why many scientists are horrified by what Ganavero is planning to do.

The surgeon himself is very optimistic. He states that he will definitely do similar operations again. In addition, in the future he plans to transplant the brain of an elderly person into the body of a young donor. This means, according to him, it will be possible to defeat death.

This is interesting! It was previously stated that the operation to transplant a living human head would last 36 hours. Afterwards, the patient must be placed in an artificial coma for 4 weeks. And after this time, he will be injected with strong immunosuppressants to prevent his body from rejecting his head.

Russian scientists also have grandiose plans in this direction. By 2025, they want to learn how to transplant a human brain into a robot body. This will help make a significant breakthrough in the field of science.

And in the story with the Russian programmer Valery Spiridonov, everything is quite sad. The promised head transplant has not yet taken place. Although this may not be the end yet.

In November 2017, foreign media were rocked by news of the world's first human head transplant operation. A little later, the sensation quickly spread through Russian information channels. The operation was carried out by a group of Chinese specialists at Harbin University. The process was led by Dr. Ren Xiaoping. The manipulation lasted about 18 hours and, according to Xiaoping, was successful. The doctors connected the elements of the spine, blood vessels and nerves, but, of course, did not resuscitate the “patient”: on at this stage development of science is impossible.

Sergio Canavero: populist or popularizer of science?

Sergio Canavero is a famous surgeon from Italy. After the operation took place in China, he began to actively promote the news in scientific circles and popularize it among the masses. According to Dr. Canavero, he has long been developing his own methods that will later help him perform a human head transplant - so that the head fits into the body and finds a “second life.”

Canavero enthusiastically told people about the achievements of his Chinese colleagues and the essence of the experiment they conducted. He assured the public that he would certainly become the first surgeon who would be destined to save human life in this way. In numerous interviews, he said that he was writing a serious scientific work on the topic of surgery and transplantology. This scientific work he promised to finish it soon and publish it for a wide audience.

Back in 2013, the Italian openly announced his desire to conduct a head transplant experiment. After the success of his Chinese colleagues, the doctor was inspired and spoke with confidence about the reality of such an operation in the near future. He constantly referred to research allegedly conducted by him and boldly gave optimistic forecasts for the near future.

This is interesting!
There were rumors that Canavero had already invented a unique gel that connects the smallest nerve cells of the spine.

The Italian’s main promise was that he was ready to perform such an operation, and it would take place in the near future. The scientific community was critical of such bold statements. Colleagues called Canavero a populist who simply wants to “promote himself” on an experimental operation carried out in China and earn cheap popularity from it. The culmination was Canavero's announcement that he was looking for a volunteer willing to experiment. A volunteer was found: Russian citizen, programmer Valery Spiridonov.

Valery Spiridonov and his story

After a head was transplanted from one dead body to another in China for the first time, Russian programmer Valery Spiridonov had hope that surgeons would continue their work. After Canavero’s statement about his desire to “transplant heads,” Valery immediately responded to such a proposal. The young man suffers from a serious illness and is confined to a wheelchair. Valery has Werdnig-Hoffmann syndrome, with complete atrophy of the back muscles. He can hardly move, and the disease progresses every year. It is not surprising that Valery, trusting the bold statements of a certified doctor, so easily believed in the reality of the “miracle”.

Sergio Canavero personally met with the young man. This allowed the surgeon to see his determination. Doctor's conversation with potential patient made an impression on the world community, but the head transplant to the Russian programmer did not take place - neither in 2018 nor later. If we look at things realistically, such intervention is impossible in the near future, based on the following reasons:

It is difficult to find a donor body;
- world science has not yet “grown up” to such transplantations;
- it is difficult to imagine the psychological situation that the patient will have to go through.

They say that the operation could not take place because foreign specialists refused to operate on a patient from Russia. This is wrong. In many ways latest news, associated with Valery, are incorrect - partly because of the populism that Canavero was engaged in. On the one hand, the programmer was “unlucky”, so the story has a sad ending: he is destined to spend the rest of his life in wheelchair. But if you look at things realistically, carrying out such an operation is technically impossible either in 2018 or 2019. It may take decades to implement it into reality - and it is not a fact that such a practice will immediately become successful.

Is a head transplant possible: comments from Russian scientists

Sometimes Russian scientists are reproached for the fact that they lag behind their foreign colleagues in many respects. This is not entirely fair, because domestic transplantology is slightly inferior to foreign ones. Our specialists can transplant heads from one dead body to another no worse than the Chinese, but they do not consider this a “miraculous operation.” Canavero managed to make a sensation out of the experiment, reassuring many seriously ill patients, but he overdid it in his desire to become famous and popular. Experimental operations are one thing, real work when human life is in your hands is another.

Russian surgeon Alexey Zhao believes that between experimental and real surgical interventions there is a huge period of time. Of course, the Italian Canavero can be called a populist, but it was he who aroused people’s interest in the topic of treating patients who are completely immobilized. When separating the head from the body, surgeons have to deal with a complete rupture of the cervical spinal cord. There is no problem in sewing a head to another body. But even if the operation is successful, and the surgeon does everything anatomically correct, the body will not “obey” the other head. The limbs and shoulders will remain motionless, so the operation does not make any sense.

The surgeon can connect the large main vessels of the neck. The patient's kidneys and heart will work for some time, but the connections between the central nervous system and it will not be a body, because its main element is the spinal cord, severed in the neck area. It is not yet possible to restore this gap and the function of the spinal cells. Even if a person survives the operation, he will not be able to control the processes of urination and take care of himself.

Axons - processes nerve cells, which sometimes reach a meter in length. These processes carry impulses from cells to vital important bodies. The structure of axons is so complex that it is impossible to restore them “manually”. It remains theoretically to assume that it is possible to create a unique material that could connect them. The gel that the Italian Canavero mentioned in his populist lectures does not yet exist. It will take decades to create such material, and no single specialist can do it alone.

A little history: Vladimir Demikhov and his two-headed dog

The Russian school of transplantology emerged in the late 40s of the last century. Biologist Vladimir Demikhov founded an experimental laboratory in which he and his followers were engaged in transplantology. They conducted experiments on animals. One of the adult dogs received not only the head of another puppy, but also part of his body. The puppy's torso was connected through the great arteries adult dog to her heart and lungs. After the operation, the two-headed dog lived for about two weeks. The puppy's head could eat, drink and react to the world around us. Subsequently, Demikhov created several more two-headed dogs. Unfortunately, all the animals lived no more than two weeks.

At that time, transplantology was just beginning its development path. Scientists did not know that the body rejects all foreign bodies, producing immune cells. When scientists began to practice heart transplants, they began to develop immunosuppressants. These are drugs that the recipient must take constantly to prevent rejection of the donor's organ.

Fun fact!
A stuffed animal of one of Demikhov’s two-headed dogs is among the exhibits of the State Biological Museum named after K.A. Timiryazev in Moscow.

Sklifosovsky Institute: research continues

At the Sklifosovsky Institute in Moscow, Dr. Sergio Canavero is called a talented hoaxer who talked a lot about creating a unique substance for connecting spinal cell processes. The ambitious Italian never created anything. Director of the Research Institute named after. Sklifosovsky Anzor Khubutia claims that a group of Russian scientists is working at the institute - just to create such a composition. This group is led by the chief neurosurgeon of Moscow V.V. Krylov. He is developing a series cell technologies, which may contribute to recovery in the future neural connections- including when complete break cervical region spinal cord.

V.V. Krylov does not like to tell journalists about the results of his work, unlike the Italian surgeon. Moreover, it is too early to talk about the results, because the research is only at the beginning of its journey. The task of Russian scientists is to ensure that nerve tissue became comparable to each other. The main thing is to ensure the transition of the pathways from the brain to the spinal cord in order to establish a connection between the central nervous system and all organs. As a material, scientists take spinal cord stem cells, which can take on certain functions of the body. In the next 10 to 50 years, researchers want to find out whether stem cells can improve the nutrition of damaged neurons enough to completely restore them.

Is it possible to transplant the head of a living person onto another body and how did it end in the case of Valery Spiridonov? Valery's story, unfortunately, had no continuation. Probably, the research of Russian scientists will not allow us to put an end to it, and the dreams of the ambitious Italian surgeon will one day become a reality.