Neuroscientists have recorded the activity of a dying human brain and discovered rhythmic brain wave patterns around the time of death that are similar to those occurring during dreaming, memory recall, and meditation. Now, a study published to Frontiers brings new insight into a possible organizational role of the brain during death and suggests an explanation for vivid life recall in near-death experiences.

    • Cloudless ☼@feddit.ukOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      36
      arrow-down
      5
      ·
      1 year ago

      The article does not say that this is the first time ever that someone has died while on EEG, but that this is the first time that someone has died while on EEG with a high-density electrode array that allows for a detailed analysis of the brain waves. The article also acknowledges that there have been previous reports of EEG recordings of dying patients, but they were either limited by low spatial resolution, short duration, or lack of behavioral data. The article claims that this is the first study to provide a comprehensive and multimodal description of the brain activity and behavior of a dying person.

      • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        Might be an interesting way to die. If you are in hospice agree to be hooked up and have them scan your final moments. Maybe something useful in terms of medical science comes out of it. Also I love sci-fi so I firmly believe if this happens future people can and will bring me back to solve a problem only I can solve and I will have a street smart tough as nails super cop sidekick.

      • XaeroDegreaz@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        1 year ago

        Doubtful. People have been dying for a long time. Non-dying people have always wanted to know what dying is like, so I’m sure there have been countless attempts at gathering measurable data of those in their last moments of life.

  • freecandy@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    18
    ·
    1 year ago

    I read this on the internet (maybe erowid? Lol) forever ago so who knows: but I heard your brain releases dumb amounts of DMT right as you die, which is also a chemical your brain elicits while dreaming

    • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      1 year ago

      Think I heard about this as well. It has to do with oxygen delivery or something. Your brain is running low on oxygen so it releases a chemical that brings it more and that chemical breaks down into DMT.

      Does anyone in the bio field here know about this?

    • Cloudless ☼@feddit.ukOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      18
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Sounds like it:

      “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,” Zemmar speculated.

      • mifan@feddit.dk
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        30
        ·
        1 year ago

        Perhaps the brain - in a last attempt to save its life - searches every situation that it has ever experienced to try to find survival tips.

          • reflex@kbin.social
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            14
            ·
            edit-2
            1 year ago

            Maybe it’s making a final upload to the cloud.

            Maybe they’re highlights on the game over screen.

            • GreenMario@lemm.ee
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              7
              ·
              1 year ago

              It’s the credits screen.

              YOUR LIFE

              Written and directed by George Lucas

              Etc etc you get it

              • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                1
                ·
                1 year ago

                Jesus, I think of that episode way too much. Mine would be some corporate suit who doesn’t know how to do anything except look good for meetings, dumb as dogshit, a total yes-man, got his job because of his dad, hates children, and was prissy.

                Patrick Bateman sans violence.

        • grabyourmotherskeys@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          8
          ·
          1 year ago

          I was caught in a rip current, in close to zero Celsius salt water, with significant waves as a teenager. My wetsuit was inadequate, to say the least, and my surfboard was lost because the leash failed (think of it as a flotation device).

          I was sure I was going to die. I didn’t. But, yeah, every single second of my life was screaming through my brain while I pleaded with any force in the universe to save me.

          I eventually got control of my breathing and swam across the rip and let the waves take me in. I was cold for a long time.

          That was my first time surfing. Wasn’t my last but I learned a lot that day.

          The that took me there and loaned me the gear didn’t even go in the water (said he was right behind me).

      • Tb0n3@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        12
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        I can certainly see this as evolutionarily beneficial. When you’re on the verge of dying and you suddenly have a recall of a lot of your experiences in life it may lead to you being able to survive.

      • MinusPi@yiffit.net
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        1 year ago

        I can’t believe I haven’t heard of that before! I thought my memory was just ordinarily bad, but reading about it I definitely have that.

  • XEAL@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    So we could say that when people die, they experience a…

    *Puts On Sunglasses*

    Total Recall

    YEEEEAAAHHH!!!