Integrity Score 4562
No Records Found
No Records Found
No Records Found
Can an organ transplant really change someone’s personality?
By Adam Taylor, Lancaster University
Changes in personality following a heart transplant have been noted pretty much ever since transplants began. In one case, a person who hated classical music developed a passion for the genre after receiving a musician’s heart. The recipient later died holding a violin case.
In another case, a 45-year-old man remarked how, since receiving the heart of a 17-year-old boy, he loves to put on headphones and listen to loud music – something he had never done before the transplant.
A recent study suggests that heart transplant recipients may not be unique in experiencing personality changes. These changes can occur following the transplantation of any organ.
What might explain this? One suggestion could be that this is a placebo effect where the overwhelming joy of receiving a new lease on life gives the person a sunnier disposition. Other transplant recipients suffer from guilt and bouts of depression and other psychological issues that might also be seen as personality changes.
However, there is some evidence to suggest that these personality changes aren’t all psychological. Biology may play a role, too.
The cells of the transplanted organ will perform their expected function – heart cells will beat, kidney cells will filter and liver cells will metabolise – but they also play a role elsewhere in the body. Many organs and their cells release hormones or signalling molecules that have an effect locally and elsewhere in the body.
The heart seems to be most commonly associated with personality changes. The chambers release peptide hormones, including “atrial natriuretic peptide” and “brain natriuretic peptide”, which help regulate the balance of fluid in the body by affecting the kidneys.
They also play a role in electrolyte balance and inhibiting the activity of the part of our nervous system responsible for the fight-or-flight response. The cells in charge of this are in the hypothalamus – a part of the brain that plays a role in everything from homeostasis (balancing biological systems) to mood.
Read Full Story https://theconversation.com/can-an-organ-transplant-really-change-someones-personality-228923