Scientists gather evidence of donor memory 'transfer' after heart transplantation
Some people who have received a donor heart have reported unexpected changes in their personality or habits, as well as unusual memories, after undergoing surgery. A team of Arab researchers recently reviewed evidence of such experiences previously described in the scientific literature from patients' own words. However, for a variety of reasons, the purportedly sensational review is highly questionable.
A number of heart transplant patients believe that along with the organ, they may have somehow passed on certain personality traits, preferences, and even past experiences of the donor. In an article in the journal Cureus, medical scientists from several universities in Saudi Arabia also argue for this possibility.
Among the examples the Arab scientists cite as evidence is the case of a nine-year-old boy who received a heart transplant from a three-year-old girl who drowned in a home swimming pool. Although the boy had no idea how his donor died, his mother later said that after the transplant, her son became “deathly afraid of water.”
In another episode, a college professor who received the heart of a police officer shot in the face subsequently began seeing bright flashes in his dreams and feeling heat in his face.
Patients after transplants have also described changing or developing new preferences in food, music, interests, and sexual relationships. For example, one woman grew to love chicken nuggets, which she had not eaten before, after receiving the heart of a man who favored the dish.
Some reported dreams that corresponded to the identity of the donor or the circumstances of the donor's death. These and other cases were previously cited in a research paper published in 2002 in the Journal of Near-Death Studies.
“Emerging evidence suggests that heart transplantation may transfer personality traits and memories of the donor to the recipient, challenging traditional notions of memory and human identity,” the authors of the new review write.
Among the hypotheses explaining this possibility, the researchers mentioned the concept of cellular memory, the theory of memory transfer with the help of protein or RNA molecules and a number of other scientifically controversial ideas.
According to modern ideas, memory is stored only in the neurons of the brain. In addition, many experts have previously noted that cases like those described may be a coincidence or a psychological reaction of the patient after a serious operation and the proximity of death.
Researchers from McGill University (Canada) found that changes in appetite and attitude to food may be related to the intake of immunosuppressants, which are prescribed to patients with transplanted organs. In addition, some transplant recipients have preoperative anxiety about changes in personality and character after transplantation, which may contribute to this metamorphosis.
Another factor that raises doubts about the seriousness of the new work is the reputation of the journal chosen for its publication. Cureus has been criticized in the scientific community for publishing edited versions of articles that have been withdrawn from other scientific journals for methodological flaws or for “possible violations of medical ethics and human rights.