An international team of thirteen scientists investigated the brainwaves of a dying man. The measured brain waves suggest that people who die experience the same neural activity as they do during dreaming, reminiscing or meditating.
The study was conducted on an 87-year-old patient with epilepsy. The man was attached to a machine to examine his brain for signs of seizures. However, during the procedure, the man died of a heart attack, which gave the scientists a chance to see what happens in the brain when someone dies.
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Striking brain activity
The scientists were able to examine in detail what happened in the brain just before and after the heart stopped. More so-called gamma brain waves were observed before and after death. These are the brain waves associated with higher cognitive functions, such as dreaming, concentrating, remembering and conscious perception.
That may explain why many people who near death experience that they see their lives flash before their eyes. Anil Seth, a neurosurgeon at the University of Sussex who did not participate in the study, told to The Guardian, however, that it cannot be said with certainty whether the brain waves are linked to a subjective experience. He called the measurements ‘unique’. Ethically, he says, it is not possible to plan such measurements while dying.
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Not yet representative for the time being
The study was conducted on only one patient and should therefore be taken with a grain of salt, according to the researchers. They say there is still a chance that the brain is exhibiting this activity due to other factors, such as brain damage or medication the patient was given.
Nevertheless, there are indications that the research is still on the right track. Scientists already conducted a comparable research on rats. Even then, increased gamma activity was observed in the brain at the time of death.
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