Cellular memory

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Cellular memory is the controversial hypothesis that such things as memories, habits, interests, and tastes may somehow be stored in all the cells of human bodies, and not only in the brain. The suggestion arose following a number of organ transplants in which the recipient unexpectedly developed the memories and interests of the donor. One of the largest studies into this effect, entitled Changes in Heart Transplant Recipients That Parallel the Personalities of Their Donors and published in the Spring 2002 issue of the Journal of Near-Death Studies, cites cases in which the recipient "inherited" a love for classical music, a change of sexual orientation, changes in diet and vocabulary, and in one case even identified the donor's murderer.

The academic organ transplant community flatly rejects this notion as absurd—the domain of pseudoscience, because it has never been demonstrated in a scientific manner. They further consider it and similar myths dangerous as they may hinder organ donation.

[edit] See also

• Organ donation
• Organ transplant
• Body memory

[edit] External links

• Examples of cellular memory

[edit] Further reading

• Sylvia, Claire (1997). A Change of Heart. New York, New York: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-82149-7.
• Pearsall, Doctor Paul, et alii (1999). The Heart's Code. New York, New York: Broadway Books. ISBN 0-7679-9942-8.

Transplantation edit

Types of Transplants: Allograft - Alloplant - Allotransplantation - Autotransplantation - Xenotransplantation Tissue and Organs Transplanted: Organ transplant - Bone grafting - Bone marrow - Corneal - Face - Hand - Heart - Heart-Lung - Kidney - Liver - Lung - Pancreas - Penis - Skin grafting - Spleen Related issues: Cellular memory - Biomedical tissue - Edmonton protocol - Eye bank - Graft-versus-host disease - Immunosuppressive drugs - Islet cell transplantation - Living donor liver transplantation - Lung allocation score - Machine perfusion - Medical grafting - Non-heart beating donation - Organ donation - Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder - Total body irradiation - Transplant rejection Organizations related to Transplants: Human Tissue Authority - National Marrow Donor Program - United Network for Organ Sharing People related to transplants: Isabelle Dinoire - Jean-Michel Dubernard - Gregory Scott Johnson - List of notable organ transplant donors and recipients