2006-09-02 02:27:34 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
Only seconds.
2006-09-02 02:29:55 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tryptamine blue has it!
To explain his answer a bit more fully: in the times of the French Revolution, many nobles were decapitated on the guillotine. Some agreed with a doctor to do a study to find out how long they were concious/alive for, after decapitation. So they worked out a series of blinking or mouth movements or something which they would do after decapitation. And it was found that they could actually do it for a few seconds!
2006-09-03 06:42:15 · answer #2 · answered by Steve-Bob 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Best guess? Less than nine seconds.
As far as I can tell, no-one has performed experiments in which the blood flow to the brain was briefly stopped (for obvious reasons). However, there is a fair bit of reliable data about how long people can operate with depleted levels of environmental oxygen. Presumably, since there's still oxygen in the bloodstream being pumped around in those cases, mere vacuum-breathers will have more conscious time than the headless. Err, bodyless.
Still, you probably have a couple seconds.
2006-09-02 09:42:15 · answer #3 · answered by peri_renna 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It seems to vary, but blinking experiments on executed severed heads by Dr. Beaurieux, and Drs. Regnard and Loye and others seem to indicate that consciousness continued between 6 and 30 seconds after decapitation. A couple of reports are linked below.
The brain can be deprived of oxygen for up to 3 minutes before massive cell death takes place, however, a slight drop in blood pressure will result in almost immediate loss of consciousness.
2006-09-02 09:54:40 · answer #4 · answered by Tryptamine Blue 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You would most likely go into shock and black out immediately, thus being incable of concious thought. However, the French which ceased decapitation only a few decades ago as a form of execution noted in one or two cases that the pupils of some decapitees actually focused for a few seconds suggesting concious thought.
2006-09-04 13:38:42 · answer #5 · answered by Peakey 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the oxygen and glucose supply to the brain is disrupted for 5 seconds, the person passes out! And it takes a couple of minutes to cause massive brain cell damage.
If by "Thinking" you mean reasoning, then theoretically the brain will not be able to reason after a couple of seconds.
And if you mean the basic brain stem functions and basal activity of the brain, then I suppose it will not be fore more than a minute or so after complete blood disruption.
2006-09-02 11:23:11 · answer #6 · answered by Sabahat 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Decapitated person or animal is brain dead.
2006-09-02 09:50:08 · answer #7 · answered by J.SWAMY I ఇ జ స్వామి 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree with the person who said, "it's unlikely that you'd have any coherent thoughts", because (especially if you only have couple seconds left to think/"live") honestly, what's gonna be going through your mind besides, "ouch."
2006-09-02 09:53:46 · answer #8 · answered by Muscleweighsmorethanfat 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would think you would go into shock immediately, having your head chopped off might be a tad traumatic. It's unlikely you would have any coherant thoughts with that level of shock.
2006-09-02 09:46:11 · answer #9 · answered by chuck 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
till the time there is blood in the brain
2006-09-02 09:34:54 · answer #10 · answered by goodboy_says_hi 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋