What happens to the human brain as people are on the precipice of death is an enigma that has perplexed ordinary folks and scientists for centuries. While questions remain, a new research has appeared to tackle the subject and seemingly come up with an answer that gives fresh insight into the mystery.
The study titled "Enhanced Interplay of Neuronal Coherence and Coupling in the Dying Human Brain", published in the Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience journal, has captured brain activity occurring both during, and after, the transition to death.
Researchers suggest that the brain might be quickly recapping the important events of life or as many describe this experience of seeing the life flash before their eyes.
"Through generating brain oscillations [brain waves] 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," said Dr Ajmal Zemmar of the University of Louisville, Kentucky, associated with the study.
Notably, the recording was captured when an 87-year-old patient underwent cardiac arrest while being treated for epilepsy. A device strapped on the patient's head managed to capture 900 seconds of brain activity around the time of death, allowing the doctors to observe what happened in the 30 seconds before and after his heart stopped beating.
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Changes in brain activity
The researchers saw changes in a specific band of neural oscillations, the so-called gamma oscillations as well as delta, theta, alpha, and beta.
Notably, brain oscillations, or brain waves, are repetitive patterns of electrical impulses normally present in living human brains. Gamma waves are involved in high-cognitive functions such as memory retrieval, which is associated with memory flashbacks.
The research has opened new frontiers for scientists to explore and venture deep into what lies beyond human life.
"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," said Dr Zemmar.
While Dr Zemmar and his colleagues published the study findings in 2022, the medical journal and its analysis have once again become a talking point online.
