Scientists discover brain activity at the moment of death.. What happens?
Scientists discover brain activity at the moment of death.. What happens?
2025-02-07 03:44
Shafaq News/ A team of neuroscientists was able to record the first brain activity at the moment of a person’s death, in a discovery that raises questions about how a person transitions from life to death .
The findings, described as “exciting,” suggest that the brain may undergo a “life review” experience, a phenomenon previously reported by people who have had near-death experiences, in which they describe seeing their entire life history flash before their eyes in the blink of an eye .
This activity was captured during the death of an 87-year-old Canadian patient, who was being treated for epilepsy, when he suffered a cardiac arrest .
Doctors had attached an electroencephalogram (EEG) device to the man’s head to monitor brain activity associated with seizures, but during the procedure, the patient died while the device was still monitoring his brain, giving scientists the opportunity to monitor brain activity during the 30 seconds before and after his heart stopped .
Measurements taken by the researchers showed that the brain was still active in areas involved in memory, such as retrieving memories, even after the heart had stopped .
“By generating brain oscillations associated with memory retrieval, the brain may be recalling important life events in its final moments, as described by people who have had near-death experiences ,” said lead researcher Dr. Ajmal Zammar of the University of Louisville in Kentucky.
Scientists have found that the brain may be biologically programmed to regulate the transition to death, through a series of neural and physiological activities, rather than stopping it suddenly .
These activities include gamma brain oscillations, which are associated with higher cognitive functions such as memory retrieval .
Although scientists have not reached a final explanation for this phenomenon, the results open the door to new questions about the timing of death and how to determine it, especially in light of the development of brain activity monitoring technologies .
Dr. Zammar pointed out that these results raise important questions regarding the timing of death and organ donation decisions .
“When do we consider a person dead? Should we monitor brain activity alongside heart activity to accurately determine time of death?” he said. “These questions could dramatically change medical practice around death declaration .”
Although this study is an important discovery, scientists acknowledge that it is difficult to draw firm conclusions based on just one case .
Dr. Zammar confirms that: “Scientists need more studies and other cases to explain this phenomenon more accurately .”
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