Yes, but unfortunately "brain implants" now more commonly mean
electronic devices inserted into the brain.  So it is a poor choice as
a search term.  I should have expressed it better.

Ok, let's discuss it in this context and forget all about Ms Roach's
book from now on (by the way, what book?). Let's look instead at this
article which Robert White published in 1986:

http://itest.slu.edu/dloads/80s/braincon.txt

Here is an interesting excerpt on White's isolated brain preparations:

----
By definition, to isolate the brain required neurogenic
separation and, therefore, not only the spinal cord, but all
of the cranial nerves must be severed; as a consequence, the
inner organizational matrix of the brain is no longer receiving
an inrush of information from the peripheral nervous system. It
is exclusively dependent on hormonal secretion via the
circulation. Obviously the brain is also unable to "express
itself" through nerve pathways and, thus, can only remain in
contact via the release of neurohormones into the vascular
system.

In recent experiments, in which a single cranial nerve complex
was purposefully preserved, for example, the auditory or optic
nerve, it was demonstrated that with either sound or light
stimulation, the appropriate neuroanatomical connections in the
isolated brain remained intact and, when the appropriate areas of
cerebral cortex (auditory or visual cortex) were instrumented
with surface electrodes appropriate recordings were recorded
strongly suggesting the preservation and functioning of these
intimate and delicate neural fiber tracts and connections
subserving these modalities of sensation. Once again, however,
this did not provide evidence that the preparation in the
isolated state was capable of processing or appreciating this
information.
----

My serious question is: what do you think such an "isolated brain
preparation" would feel, if it were indeed able to think? Would it be
confined to memories, a bit like the subject of an "isolation chamber"
experiment, or could there be some sort of "fake" sensory input, a bit
like the phenomenon of phantom limbs in an amputee? Some people with
locked in syndrome have described their lives as consisting of memories
only (e.g. JD Bauby's "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"). One would
expect this to be felt even more strongly by an isolated brain, if it
were able to think.

Bruno

Au contrare.

I never said it was ridiculous. It's probably an interesting book and a good
read.

Well, it's not as much fun, and I'm also an a.shole. But what bothers me is
that so many people ask stupid (or good) questions in a NG, when they could
find so much information on the internet. The OP is just lazy in my opinion.
I ALWAYS try to "educate" myself first, then if there are things I still
don't understand or can't find I ask here.

r norman scripsit:

I don't care about that. Winding up people on usenet is one of my
favourite hobbies, although this was one of my few serious posts. Well,
serious-ish. I admit I deliberately phrased it in a very provocative
way, and I knew there was no way to answer it. For a long time I have
been interested in locked in syndrome, and the situation outlined in
White's articles is in a sense the ultimate locked in state: no imputs,
no outputs, no way to communicate with the "isolated brain". Of course
the transplant is not really necessary, severing the cranial nerves
would obtain the same results.
Incidentally, that would be an interesting punishment for some heinous
criminals: induce the "ultimate locked in state", then pump their
bodies full of chemicals known to produce a state of anguish and fear.

Bruno