The article “Personality Changes Associated with Organ Transplantation” published in the medical journal Transplantology in January discusses how some transplant recipients experience major and lasting changes in their thinking and behavior.
Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in the US set out to study whether personality changes occur after organ transplants. Specifically, what changes heart transplant recipients experience and how they differ from those who receive other organ transplants.
Research suggests that organ transplant recipients may experience personality changes related to their organ donor. Photo: Shutterstock
There are many changes in personality, interests and even new memories.
The study surveyed 47 people online, including 23 heart transplant recipients and 24 other organ recipients. Results showed that 89% of transplant recipients reported personality changes after surgery. There were no significant differences between heart and other organ transplant recipients.
These changes include preferences for food, occupation, music, art, intimacy, and leisure activities. Some individuals have greater social and sexual adaptability, as well as a greater awareness of spirituality or religion.
Although these changes are usually harmless or beneficial, there are also worrisome changes, including delirium, depression, anxiety, psychosis, and sexual dysfunction.
In addition, some people after organ transplants have developed "new memories" that they never seemed to have experienced before. These memories are often related to the sensory perceptions of the organ donor.
The article cites one example: "A 56-year-old college professor received the heart of a 34-year-old police officer who tragically died after being fatally shot in the face."
"After the transplant, the recipient recounted a strange experience, saying: 'A few weeks after receiving the heart, I started having dreams in which I saw a bright light shining directly on my face and my face became hot as if it was on fire'."
"Heart Code"
Various theories have been proposed to explain this phenomenon. Psychologically, the changes in the recipient's personality may stem from their own fantasies about the donor, or it may be due to the recipient using defense mechanisms to cope with the stress associated with the transplant process.
Meanwhile, biochemical hypotheses suggest that the donor's memories and personality traits may be stored in the donated organ and transferred to the recipient.
For example, an “engram” – a memory trace of past experiences – could be transferred from the donor brain to the recipient brain via exosomes. The idea of transferring cellular memory between donor and recipient, such as through DNA and RNA memory, has also been proposed.
Cover of the book The Heart Code by Paul Pearsall. Photo: Amazon
Another theory suggests that personality traits are transferred through the neuronal system in the heart, a system that uses chemical neurotransmitters to communicate and store information.
The system, also known as the "brain heart", is said to store memories that can be passed on to the recipient during transplant surgery, potentially altering the recipient's personality.
Another theory involves the recipient's electromagnetic field, suggesting that the donor's personality information may be stored in the heart's electromagnetic field and transmitted during surgery, resulting in changes in the recipient's personality. This theory is proposed because the human body is an electrical entity composed entirely of charged particles, governed by electromagnetic principles.
"The personality changes may also be the result of improved physical health after surgery, rather than a transfer of personality from donor to recipient," said Mitch Liester, MD, author of the paper.
Personality changes are also described similarly in the book titled "The Heart Code" by neuropsychologist Paul Pearsall, who in 1999 showed that many personality traits of heart recipients change according to the heart donor.
One case involved a 5-year-old boy who received the heart of a 3-year-old boy named Thomas. Thomas unfortunately died after falling from a window ledge while trying to retrieve a superhero toy. Whether it was a coincidence or a genetic trait, the 5-year-old boy who received the heart also shared the same interests as Thomas.
Hoai Phuong (according to SCMP)
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