Cellular memory

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cellular memory is the unproven 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 was reported to have developed the memories and interests of the donor. An article that is not peer reviewed and that does not cite sources or offer evidence, entitled Changes in Heart Transplant Recipients That Parallel the Personalities of Their Donors and published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, reports anecdotes 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. 

• Memory distortion in decision making
• American Psychological Association: Study of false memory
• New methods in police lineups
• Whitfield, Charles L. (1995) Memory and abuse: remembering and healing the effects of trauma.
• Skeptic's Dictionary on false memories
• False Memory Syndrome Foundation
• British False Memory Society
• Demonstration of a "false memory" test at Northwestern (uses Macromedia Flash, requires audio)
• Jim Hopper's scientific research and scholarly resources page
• Article about Marcia Johnson's research on memory distortion

• [[1]] Summary/history of recovered memory debate
• [[2]] Netherlands False Memory website

• [[3]] US website protesting Recovered memory and other potentially dangerous therapies

• [[4]] US website compiled by parents angry about children's therapy

• [[5]] Australian False Memory Association website

• [[6]] Australian website re recovered memories

• [[7]] NZ Casualties of False Sexual Allegations website