Neuroscientists have unintentionally recorded the brain activity of a dying man providing an insight into what happens to our brain when we die.
An 87-year-old man was admitted to a hospital after a fall and developed epilepsy. Dr Raul Vicente of the University of Tartu in Estonia along with his colleagues used continuous electroencephalography (EEG) to detect the seizures and treat the patient, reports eruonews.com.
During these recordings, the patient suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away. This unexpected event allowed the scientists to record the activity of a dying human brain for what they believe is the first time ever.
The new research, which was published on Tuesday in the journal Frontiers in Ageing Neuroscience, looked at the neurological reasons for the phenomenon and suggests that the brain may remain active and coordinated during and even after the transition to death, and be programmed to orchestrate the whole ordeal.
“We measured 900 seconds of brain activity around the time of death and set a specific focus 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, US, who organised the study.
“Just before and after the heart stopped working, we saw changes in a specific band of neural oscillations, so-called gamma oscillations, but also in others such as delta, theta, alpha, and beta oscillations”.
Brain oscillations, commonly known as ‘brain waves’, are patterns of rhythmic brain activity normally present in living human brains.
The different types of oscillations, including gamma, are involved in high-cognitive functions, such as concentrating, dreaming, meditation, memory retrieval, information processing, and conscious perception, just like those associated with memory flashbacks.
Zemmar said, “Through generating oscillations involved in memory retrieval, the brain may be playing a last recall of important life events just before we die, similar to the ones reported in near-death experiences.
“These findings challenge our understanding of when exactly life ends and generate important subsequent questions, such as those related to the timing of organ donation.”
The researchers hope that the case study can lead to further studies and give hope to family members.
“Although our loved ones have their eyes closed and are ready to leave us to rest, their brains may be replaying some of the nicest moments they experienced in their lives,” Zemmar said.
