The idea of bringing people back from the dead by transplanting their brains into donor bodies may sound like science fiction. But the bizarre vision could be a reality within three years, according to a controversial Italian surgeon. Professor Sergio Canavero is famed for his plans to carry out the first human head transplant next year, and says that he will then focus on brain transplants. Critics say Professor Canavero's plans are'pure fantasy'. The Italian has been compared to the fictional gothic-horror character Dr Frankenstein and Arthur Caplan, the director of medical ethics at New York University's Langone Medical Centre, has described Dr Canavero as'nuts'.