Health & Fitness
‘Zombie Genes'? UIC Study Finds Some Brain Activity Increases After Death
Those "zombie genes" were specific to inflammatory cells called glial cells, which grow and sprout long arms after death.
CHICAGO (CBS) — In a new study published in Scientific Reports, the researchers found the so-called “zombie genes” even “grow to gargantuan proportions” after we die, according to UIC. The researchers analyzed gene expression in fresh brain tissue collected during routine brain surgery to simulate the post-mortem interval and death, and found gene expression in some cells increased after a person dies. Those “zombie genes” were specific to a single type of cell — inflammatory cells called glial cells, which grow and sprout long arm-like appendages for several hours after death, according to UIC.
“That glial cells enlarge after death isn’t too surprising given that they are inflammatory and their job is to clean things up after brain injuries like oxygen deprivation or stroke,” said Dr. Jeffrey Loeb, professor and head of neurology and rehabilitation at the UIC College of Medicine, who authored the study.
