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Are there "zombie cells" in our brain after death?
The human brain is the most complex and intriguing organ that exists in the human body, and now it turns out that it remains mysterious even when we die.
A new study has found that even though the body is shut down, inside our head the work does not stop completely
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Thursday, 25 March 2021, 07:00 Updated: 07:50
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Most of us think that once a person dies, his body shuts down.
But is this really what happens, or do things happen in the body after death that we do not yet know or understand?
A new study from the University of Illinois published in Scientific Reports found that certain cells in the human brain actually increase their activity after death.
These ‘zombie’ cells amplify their gene expression and continue to perform their vital tasks, as if someone forgot to tell them the show is over.
Neurologist Jeffrey Loeb of the University of Illinois and colleagues observed these cells continue to work for hours after death.
"Most studies assume that every detail in the brain stops when the heart stops beating, but this is not the case," Loeb said.
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To the full article
Much of the information we have about brain disorders like autism, Alzheimer's and schizophrenia comes from post-mortem brain experiments.
This approach is critical in the search for treatments, as animal models are not sufficient to tap into the human body.
Typically, this work is done on the tissues of people who died more than 12 hours ago.
In the present study the study was performed by comparing gene expression in fresh brain tissue (removed as part of epilepsy surgery from 20 patients) and brain samples from people who died.
Loeb and his team found marked differences that were not specific to either age or possible illness.
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The researchers used gene expression data, which were confirmed by histological examination of brain tissue, to understand changes in the activity unique to cells over time since death.
While most of the gene activity remained stable for the 24 hours that the team documented, the nerve cells and their genetic activity dwindled rapidly.
Surprisingly, Glia cells, which make up about half the volume of the brain, have actually increased gene expression and the processes for which they are responsible.
Brain activity even after death.
Brain GIF (Photo: Giphy)
Despite the surprise, this is a logical process given that glial cells, like microglial cells, take part in ingesting dead cell debris.
"Post-mortem glial cell dilation is not too surprising given that they protect the brain from infections and their job is to clean up after brain injuries like oxygen deficiency or stroke," Loeb said.
Further research the team demonstrated how the RNA expressed by genes does not change within 24 hours after death, so any change in its amount must result from the continuation of the biological processes after death.
"The full genetic expression of fresh human brain samples allows for an unprecedented look at the genomic complexity of the human brain, due to the preservation of so many different transcripts that no longer exist in post-mortem tissues," the researchers wrote in their paper.
The study's findings have far-reaching implications for both past and present studies that use brain tissue to understand diseases that involve immune responses - like these 'zombie' glial cells that swell when they indiscriminately devour dying brain pieces.
After 24 hours, however, these cells also died and could no longer be distinguished from the tissue that surrounded them.
"The good news we saw in the study findings is that we now know which genes and cell types are stable, which ones are degradable and which increase over time so that post-mortem brain surgeries can be better understood."
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