This just is not true. Although there is evidence of neurogenesis in certain areas of the brain, many of our other neurons live as along as we do unless they are destroyed. Neurogenesis is not the complete “replacement” of old neurons for new ones.

I did not know that neurogenesis happened in adult brains at all until I read you comment and went to pull an article to show you that we don’t make new neurons. But I was wrong. We do. We just keep the old ones too.

So thank you.

What is so trippy is that I am writing this reply in a lab where we are working on this!

That’s like continuing to smoke cigarettes because cancer treatment is going to be great in 2050

This is a beautiful question. I think if we look at a human being holistically, the actual organism never dies during the neural replacement. But, in this case, the “you” is referring to your consciousness, your metaphysical being, which is destroyed in the process of your neurons being replaced synthetically. I am not my clone. This destruction of my neurons, to which my experience and being is intrinsically bound, would occur gradually, even if you started with the parts that control reason and memory. The subconscious mechanisms are still you. As long as some of them exist and function, so does some of you. So my answer is that this would be a gradual death.

Other propel have made the excellent point that if the neurons were preserved as they were stripped and reconnected in the same way and continued to function else where, then you never died, your brain was just transplanted.

Can’t wait to see it happen boys! Get your shit together bioengineers and move my brain to a more stable vessel please