[ELI5] Why aren’t brain transplants possible?

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If there is a brain dead patient and a person with multiple failing organs, why is it not possible to transfer the brain to from patient to patient? I understand there are many ethical reasons to give somebody another’s body, but if both had given consent then would it be possible and if not why?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Something that hasn’t been mentioned yet about the scale of reconnection is that even if we could conceivably plug a new brain into an existing nervous system “correctly” it would also have to be done incredibly fast. For example we can keep organs like lungs, kidneys and livers alive for between 9-12 hours outside a body. One of the most complex transplants currently performed is the lungs which can take up to 12 hours to transplant. So with a brain you’re looking at a longer procedure and more tissue death

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