• At death you can “see” a summary of life
• A discovery by accident
• We don’t know exactly when life ends
• A source of hope
• Increased gamma activity

Neuroscientists at the University of Tartu in Estonia have recorded the activity of a dying human brain and discovered rhythmic patterns of brain waves around the time of death that are similar to those that occur during dreams, remembrance and meditation.

AT DEATH YOU CAN “SEE” A SUMMARY OF LIFE

The researchers believe that this process of brain reorganization could explain the “life summary” that many people contemplate in “near-death experiences” (NDEs). In just a few seconds, people relive the most memorable moments of their lives.

What happens in the brain during these experiences and after death are questions that have intrigued the human being. According to the paper published by Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, the brain may remain active and coordinated during and even after the transition to death.

A DISCOVERY BY ACCIDENT

They hypothesize from the case of an 87-year-old patient, who died of a heart attack while undergoing an electroencephalography (EEG) after having gone to the emergency room for a fall that caused a brain hematoma. The unexpected event allowed scientists to record the activity of a dying human brain for the first time.

WE DON’T KNOW EXACTLY WHEN LIFE ENDS

“We measured 900 seconds of brain activity around the time of death and established a specific approach to investigate what happened in the 30 seconds before and after the heart stopped beating,” said Dr. Ajmal Zemmar, a neurosurgeon at the University of Louisville who led the research.

“Just before and after the heart stopped working, we saw changes in a specific band of brain electrical activity, in so-called gamma waves, but also in others, such as delta, theta, alpha and beta waves.”

Brain waves are patterns of rhythmic brain activity that are normally present in living human brains. Different types of waves or oscillations, including gamma waves, are involved in cognitive functions, such as concentration, sleep, meditation, memory retrieval, information processing, and conscious perception, as are those associated with memory flashbacks.

“Through the generation of waves involved in memory retrieval, the brain may be reproducing a last memory of important life events before death, similar to those reported in near-death experiences,” Zemmar speculated.

“These findings challenge our understanding of when exactly life ends and raise important subsequent questions, such as those related to the timing of organ donation.”

A SOURCE OF HOPE

While this study is the first of its kind to measure brain activity during the death process in humans, similar changes in gamma waves have previously been observed in rats maintained in controlled environments. This means that it is possible that, during death, the brain organizes and executes a biological response that could be conserved in all species.

However, these measurements are based on a single case and come from the brain of a patient who had suffered injuries, seizures and brain swelling, which complicates the interpretation of the data. However, Zemmar plans to investigate more cases and sees these results as a source of hope.

“As a neurosurgeon, sometimes I face losses. It is indescribably difficult to break the news of the death to distraught relatives,” he said. “One thing we can learn from this research is that although our loved ones have their eyes closed and are ready to leave us, their brains may be reproducing some of the best moments they had in their lives.”

INCREASED GAMMA ACTIVITY

The study notes that before death there was an increase in gamma wave activity, which was not reduced like the other rhythmic patterns after cardiac para. In fact, coordination or coupling with other brain waves from different areas of the brain was observed. The human brain may possess the ability to generate coordinated activity immediately before and after clinical death, the authors say.

The researchers warn that the results of their research have to be contrasted with new studies that rule out the influence of the clinical situation and the drugs administered to the patient.

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