1 year ago
72 Mind
High-frequency waves successful circumstantial regions of the encephalon are thought to beryllium a hallmark of consciousness – present they person been recorded surging successful 2 radical arsenic they died
By Clare Wilson
Some radical who person had a brushwood with decease study experiencing a sensation of moving down a passageway towards a agleam light
Sharon Dominick/iStockphoto/Getty Images
A surge of brainwaves successful 2 radical who laic dying aft their beingness enactment was turned disconnected whitethorn assistance to explicate the improvement of near-death experiences.
The sensation of moving down a passageway towards a agleam light, reliving past memories and proceeding oregon seeing deceased relatives person each been reported by radical from galore cultures who person had a brushwood with death. Sceptics, however, accidental these experiences could beryllium caused by radical hallucinating arsenic they retrieve successful hospital.
Now, it seems we whitethorn person identified the brain enactment down these experiences.
Ten years ago, Jimo Borjigin astatine the University of Michigan Medical School and her colleagues showed that rats person a surge of electrical enactment successful their brains arsenic they die.
Some radical who are critically sick successful intensive attraction units person electrodes placed connected their caput to show their brainwaves successful a method called electroencephalography, oregon EEG, if doctors deliberation they are astatine hazard of having epileptic seizures.
Borjigin’s squad combed done anonymised aesculapian records for radical who had an EEG recorded arsenic their beingness enactment was switched disconnected due to the fact that they had nary anticipation of recovery, uncovering 4 specified people.
Brainwaves tin beryllium seen connected an EEG erstwhile ample numbers of encephalon cells occurrence unneurotic successful synchronised cycles. These waves tin happen astatine antithetic frequencies.
Previous work suggests that faster frequencies, known arsenic gamma brainwaves, are a hallmark of consciousness, higher thought processes and memory retrieval. This is peculiarly existent if they hap successful 2 areas connected each broadside of the head, known arsenic the temporo-parieto-occipital (TPO) junctions.
Of the 4 radical successful the study, 2 showed surges of gamma brainwaves successful their TPO junctions erstwhile their beingness enactment was withdrawn. This surge successful brainwaves lasted a fewer minutes and was precise aggravated astatine times, says Borjigin. “It was brainsick high.”
It is intolerable to cognize if these radical had immoderate visions arsenic they were dying. “Had they survived, those 2 patients mightiness person had immoderate communicative to tell,” says Borjigin.
Unlike the different 2 individuals, who didn’t amusement immoderate gamma brainwaves, the 2 that did had brains that were inactive moving capable to rise their heart complaint arsenic their blood oxygen levels fell. This suggests that a functioning autonomic tense strategy whitethorn beryllium indispensable for the gamma brainwave surge to occur.
These 2 radical besides had a suspected past of an epileptic seizure, which could person permanently affected their brains. But it hasn’t antecedently been noted that radical with a past of epilepsy are much apt to person a near-death experience, says Borjigin.
Sam Parnia astatine NYU Langone Health says the gamma question surge mightiness hap arsenic radical dice due to the fact that falling oxygen levels disable immoderate earthy “braking systems” connected encephalon activity. “This allows for the activation of usually dormant pathways, which are seen arsenic transient electrical spikes,” helium says. “The braking systems that necessitate vigor are lost.”
The findings supply further supporting grounds for consciousness successful immoderate radical who are different thought to beryllium unconscious astatine the extremity of their life, says Parnia.
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