A previous post established that in order for the human brain to drive the body, various sections must act as a cohesive unit (see: Brain Function & The Zombie Lifespan). Now it’s important to focus on individual parts of the brain, to determine which processes are necessary to sustain the Zombie, and which are “human” throwaways.
The Traumatic Brain Injury Resource Guide provides an easily understandable breakdown of brain function, as well as descriptions of physical and neurological problems that arise when specific areas are damaged. Since it’s been theorized that Zombies may derive much of their capability from the brain stem alone, I’ll focus on the stem in this post.
Contrary to popular belief, the brain stem controls very little of the Zombie’s physical or mental functions, as most of its processes are inherently human. I’ve broken the stem’s “jobs” down into three categories, to cover what we know is not present in Zombie behavior and ability, what may be present, and what certainly is present.
1) Not Present
Heart rate, sweating, digestion, body temperature, ability to sleep
2) May Be Present
Breathing, swallowing, startle response
Balance, seeing, hearing
No credible Zombie theory has ever been put forth that suggests the presence of anything listed in group 1. As for group 2, Zombie breathing is a new area of research (see: The Nature of Zombie Verbalization). Swallowing is extremely unlikely, but still open to heated debate. And though Zombies don’t have any defensive reflexes, they may still retain some sort of startle response that helps them react to external stimuli (noises, flashes of light, etc.). Group 3 speaks for itself.
I’ll be covering each area of the brain is successive future posts, in hopes of uncovering some solid truths. More soon.