Research reveals the truth about people behaving like their organ donors after a transplant

An organ transplant is a life-saving procedure for people across the globe who struggle to survive when vital organs fail. These are often made possible for people who volunteer to be organ donors after their death, but it turns out that they pass on a lot more than just an essential part of their body to the recipient. According to researchers from the University of Colorado School of Medicine, many patients who get organs from a donor may end up inheriting the personality of that individual as well.

The study shows that after the surgery, the patient may start liking the same food item that they didn't enjoy previously, or simply feel a sudden rush of emotions towards a thing or a specific person. To understand this behavior, researchers conducted a cross-sectional study involving 47 participants who received organ transplants, ranging from hearts to kidneys, and asked the participants to complete an online survey about their experiences before and after the surgery.

A staggering 89 percent of these participants reported changes in their personality, ranging from mood shifts to changing dietary preferences after the operation. Changes in their emotional state, social behavior, and even spiritual beliefs were also reported, while some recipients noticed that they enjoyed social interactions way more than they did before. On the other hand, some experienced challenges like anxiety, depression as well as mood swings. 

Donated organs may carry emotions and also personal traits because of something called "cellular memory." These memories and traits could be transferred to the organ recipient after surgery. Researchers also found that the heart has an intricate nervous system that some experts call the "heart brain" which potentially can store biographical data about the organ donor however, cellular memories may also get transferred through more conventional ways like DNA and RNA.

In one instance, a patient recalled having dreams of being shot point blank after receiving the heart of a police officer who was in fact killed in the line of duty.

"A few weeks after I got my heart, I began to have dreams. I would see a flash of light right in my face and my face gets real, real hot. It actually burns," the recipient stated for the Transplantology journal.

Another case was that of a boy who refused to play with his Power Rangers toys, which were the same toys that his donor had been trying to reach when he fell out of a window and died. 

"The finding that some patients experience fears about the possibility of personality changes following organ transplant is an issue that should be addressed with potential transplant recipients prior to undergoing transplant surgery, as such a discussion might reduce transplant surgery hesitancy and potentially improve post-transplant treatment compliance," the researchers concluded.

In a 2019 journal article, Dr. Mitchell Liester presented an idea that "memories from the donor's life are stored in the cells of the donated heart and are then 'remembered' by the recipient following transplant surgery." He further added, "Our culture sees the heart as the seat of life, love, the soul. There is no basis in science for this."