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I have heard that people who undergo open heart surgery have a personality
change after the operation.  This was explained to me to be that the lack of
a pulse due to the artificial {*filter*} pump used during the operation, which
produces a more steady stream of flow as opposed to a pulse.  It was also
explained that the reason for the personality change is mainly due to brain
cells which are deep within the tissue that die because the lack of a pulse
does not push the {*filter*} into the deep portions of the brain.

And now for a "mind experiment"...

I wonder if the personality change could also be partially due to the lack of
a "sync pulse" for a long duration of time.  I'm now thinking in terms of
chaos theory here where the heart is normally regular, and the brain activity
is usually chaotic.  On the cellular level in the neurons of the brain, I
wonder what other effect the pulse could have on the brain.

If the brain were deprived of its sync pulse for a long period of time, the
chaotic patterns may shift irreversably into a new pattern.  Without the sync
pulse, the parts of the brain would start to drift into a new timing pattern.
Like knocking a spinning wheel off it's axis, the wheel will resume its
spinning in a new stable position, which would be analagous to a personality
change.

The pulse would probably travel through the brain in a "wave" pattern as
well.  This would be different from a computer sync pulse that affects all of
the parts at the same time.  Some parts would regularly receive the "wave"
before other parts.

Could the pulse cause an alternating pattern where the cells are repeatedly
starved and then feeded oxygen as an effect of the pulse, thereby becoming
more and less effecient?

The sync pulse of the brain caused by the {*filter*} pulse may also be a physical
expansion and contraction as well.  Those who think that quantum effects are
significant in the brain might have something to say about this.  A pulsating
flow could also affect the patterns of chemical reactions in the brain by
causing small "wave" patterns that would disturb the flows of chemicals and
the action of chemicals affecting receptor sites.  There also may be an
effect on the physical distance changes that might be significant relating to
transmissions inside the brain occuring at high frequencies.

If any of these affects are significant, the the feedback loop of the
mind-body connection could relate to the fact that the brain affects the
heart rate, and the heart rate (possibly) affects the brain in return.

I crossposted to sci.med to get some more reliable information from a real
medical expert, as I am not one myself (and I am too lazy to look up all of
the information relating to this post).  I'm just guessing and making
assumptions here.

This "mind experiment" is complete.

        --fred
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Memotec Datacom, Inc.  N. Andover, MA
"Computers are useless.  They can only give you answers." - Pablo Picasso
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Memotec Datacom, Inc.  N. Andover, MA
"Computers are useless.  They can only give you answers." - Pablo Picasso