Would cessation of brain electrical activity mean loss of identity ?
Although brain electrical activity ceases when metabolism stops at low temperature, this should not cause loss of brain structure or functional capabilities. People on barbiturates or in low-temperature surgery have shown no electrical activity in their brains, but have not lost their personalities or memories. Although immediate (short-term) memories can be lost, there is ample reason to believe that identity and long-term memory is encoded in synapses and in the connections between neurons − which would be cryopreserved. (For more on this and related subjects, see my essays Neurophysiology and Mental Function and An Overview of Neural Networks.
Although brain electrical activity ceases when metabolism stops at low temperature, this should not cause loss of brain structure or functional capabilities. People on barbiturates or in low-temperature surgery have shown no electrical activity in their brains, but have not lost their personalities or memories. Although immediate (short-term) memories can be lost, there is ample reason to believe that identity and long-term memory is encoded in synapses and in the connections between neurons − which would be cryopreserved.
