RE: Images in the brain of the dead was RE: Where the I is

From: Rafal Smigrodzki (rafal@smigrodzki.org)
Date: Fri Feb 14 2003 - 12:00:44 MST

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    owner-extropians@extropy.org wrote:
    >>> Indeed you could see a somewhat distorted but easily identifiable
    > grid in their primary visual cortex.
    >
    > If this were true then coroners could perform the same procedure on
    > murder victims and get an
    > Image of the murderer.
    >
    > I've seen this plots similar to this in B SciFi movies, but never
    > considered that this would actually be possible.

    ### Well, the problem is that the radioactive label has to be given *before*
    death, otherwise the neurons will not take it up. Also, the image is
    low-resolution, and the monkey had to fixate on the target.

    Since we know that short-term memory is not encoded in changes in protein
    concentrations, but rather in patterns of excitation and ion flows, which
    very quickly dissipate after death, it is unlikely we will ever be able to
    reconstruct the last memories before death, even in the most well-preserved
    cryonicist. Instead, all cryonicists will have to accept some degree of
    retrograde amnesia, probably covering at least a few hours before
    suspension.

    Rafal

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