Can transplanted organs change the personality of the new host?

England – Scientists have found that organ transplants can have unexpected consequences, including profound changes to an individual’s personality and sexual preferences.

Personality changes following heart transplantation have been observed largely since the inception of such operations.

In one case, a person who hated classical music developed a passion for the genre following obtaining a musical heart. In another case, a 45-year-old man noted how since receiving the heart of a 17-year-old boy, he loved putting on headphones and listening 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 any organ transplant.

Many patients report personality changes following surgery, regardless of the organ transplanted. These changes included food preferences, intimacy, and even professional activities.

One suggestion that might explain these changes is the “placebo effect,” where the overwhelming joy of getting a new lease on life makes a person act more open and hopeful.

Other transplant recipients experience feelings of guilt, bouts of depression and other psychological problems that may also be seen as personality changes.

However, there is some evidence to suggest that these personality changes are not all psychological. Biology may also play a role.

The cells of the transplanted organ will perform their expected function, as the heart cells beat, the kidney cells perform the filtration process, and the liver cells perform the metabolism process, but they also play a role elsewhere in the body, as many organs and their cells release hormones or signaling molecules that have a local effect and in other places. From the body.

The heart seems to be commonly associated with personality changes. The heart chambers secrete peptide hormones, including atrial natriuretic peptide and brain natriuretic peptide, which help regulate fluid balance 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 body’s general emergency response). The cells responsible for this are located in the hypothalamus, a part of the brain that plays a role in everything from homeostasis (balance of biological systems) to mood.

So a donor organ, which may have a different baseline level of hormones and peptide production than the original organ, can alter the recipient’s mood and personality through the substances it releases.

It has been shown that natriuretic peptide levels are higher following transplantation, and never return to normal.

Although some of the elevation may be a response to the trauma of surgery, it may not be responsible for everything.

Memories stored outside the brain

The body stores memories in the brain that we access when thinking or can be stimulated by sight or smell. But memories are essentially neurochemical processes in which nerves transmit impulses to each other and exchange specialized chemicals (neurotransmitters) between them.

During organ transplant surgery, many of the nerves that control the organ’s function are cut and cannot be reconnected, which does not mean that the nerves inside the organ remain non-functional. In fact, there is evidence that it can be partially restored a year following surgery.

These neurochemical actions and reactions can feed the recipient’s nervous system, activating a physiological response that then affects the recipient’s personality according to the donor’s memories.

It is worth noting that cells from the donor are found circulating in the recipient’s body, and the donor’s DNA is seen in the recipient’s body two years following the transplant. This raises a question: Where does DNA go? What actions might he take?

Whatever the mechanism, or set of mechanisms, is responsible for changes in personality traits or physiology, this area requires further research so that recipients can understand the physical and psychological changes that can occur following surgery.

Source: Medical Express