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.

  • XEAL@lemm.ee
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    10 months ago

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

    *Puts On Sunglasses*

    Total Recall

    YEEEEAAAHHH!!!

    • Cloudless ☼OP
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      10 months 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.

      • XaeroDegreaz@lemmy.world
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        10 months 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
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    10 months 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
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      10 months 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 ☼OP
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      10 months 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
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        10 months 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
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            10 months ago

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

            Maybe they’re highlights on the game over screen.

            • GreenMario@lemm.ee
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              10 months ago

              It’s the credits screen.

              YOUR LIFE

              Written and directed by George Lucas

              Etc etc you get it

              • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
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                10 months 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
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          10 months 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
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        10 months 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
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        10 months 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.