In an intriguing article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), University of Michigan scientists detailed how they detected an unknown and mysterious wave of brain activity in the brains of dying people.
The activity was noted as a short-lived burst of gamma activity similar to that seen in previous research recording the brain waves of a dying person last year. The discovery provides an opportunity to learn more about how the human brain responds under tragic circumstances.
When four patients were withdrawn from life support, their mysterious brain activity was recorded. This activity, recorded in two of the four patients, could help scientists better understand the parallels between a dying human brain and the brains of animals previously studied, such as mice.
These vibrations of activity seen as the brain is dying are thought to be what we often refer to as “near-death experiences,” such as your life flashing before your eyes. Of course, proving the existence of such mental events will not be easy, but scientists are determined to determine what these brain waves are.
This new research on mysterious brain activity may be a step in the right direction, at least when it comes to understanding how the brain responds to the final moments before death. So the researchers looked at how brain activity changed before and after doctors took patients off life support.
For now, however, activity is not an absolute proof of higher conscious processing in patients. Despite the personal opinions of the researchers, there is no complete proof. It is hoped that future research in the same area will provide further results and information.
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