• Question: If all our brain cells died do we automatically die?

    Asked by lilsimmo to Damien, Rachael, Simon, Suzi, Tim on 17 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Suzi Gage

      Suzi Gage answered on 17 Jun 2011:

      Hi @lilsimmo

      I reckon so, yes. Our brain controls everything we do, we wouldn’t know to breathe without it!

      Maybe one of the others knows some special situation where this isn’t the case though – anyone?

      🙂

    • Photo: Tim Fosker

      Tim Fosker answered on 17 Jun 2011:

      Hi @lilsimmo

      It depends what you mean by dying (would a person die or would the rest of their body die?). Since our brains do all the ‘thinking’, as an individual personality we would be dead without a brain. We could keep many other organs alive artificially but I wouldn’t say this means that a ‘person’ is really alive, and without the right stimulation the cells of your body would eventually die too.

      I don’t know of any special cases where you can survive without a brain, although I have met some people who don’t seem to have a brain and they walk and talk like the rest of us, I’m sure you’ve met a few too 😉

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