Can the heart rule the head?

[dimreepr]

 

 

It’s well known that the heart contains neurons, a type called ‘neuro-myo-cytes’ that enables the heart to work independent of the brain, however the heart and the brain do have some connection/interaction. There is a lot of, admittedly anecdotal, evidence that propose a personality can change when a heart is transplanted.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1299456

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2012/03/dick_cheney_heart_transplant_can_a_new_heart_change_your_personality_.html

http://theophanes.hubpages.com/hub/Cellular-Memories-in-Organ-Transplant-Recipients

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8084936.stm

 

So my question, can the heart have a minor, major or decisive role in the decision processes of the brain?

 

 

[Ringer]

Neuro-myo-cytes are cell types. It just means that action potentials in the muscle cells can function with or without the nervous system. They aren't technically neurons, they are self stimulating muscle cells. But they do communicate with neurons.

 

As for the personality bit, I would say probably not. Even in the ncbi link it says only 6 patients felt there was a change due to their hearts, which is most likely just post hoc reasoning.

[MohitM]

I'm a big believer in "follow your heart" but sometimes the heart doesn't say anything. It keeps quiet sometimes and gives you visions at other times. So the best decisions would be fully body decisions where all of you makes a decision. The next best thing would be brain and heart deciding together. Then would come the heart decision. I didn't know the heart had neurons. It means the heart can think and is more connected to the brain than previously thought.

 

Yes the heart could have a say in what the brain decides.