Neurologists Shine Light On Near-Death Experiences 351
Hugh Pickens DOT Com writes "Mainstream science has long considered the brain to be inactive during the period known to doctors as clinical death. However, survivors regularly report having powerful experiences when they come close to dying, often saying they had an overwhelming feeling of peace and serenity. Frequently they describe being in a dark tunnel with a bright light at the end, and many report meeting long-lost loved ones. 'Many of them think it's evidence they actually went to heaven — perhaps even spoke with God,' says Jimo Borjigin. Now scientists at the University of Michigan have found that the brain keeps on working for up to 30 seconds after blood flow stops, possibly providing a scientific explanation for the vivid near-death experiences that some people report after surviving a heart attack. In the study, lab rats were anesthetized, then subjected to induced cardiac arrest as part of the experiment while researchers analyzed changes in power density, coherence, directed connectivity, and cross-frequency coupling. In the first 30 seconds after their hearts were stopped, they all showed a surge of brain activity, observed in electroencephalograms (EEGs) that indicated highly aroused mental states. 'We were surprised by the high levels of activity,' says George Mashour. 'In fact, at near-death, many known electrical signatures of consciousness exceeded levels found in the waking state, suggesting that the brain is capable of well-organized electrical activity during the early stage of clinical death.' Borjigan thinks the phenomenon is really just the brain going on hyperalert to survive while at the same time trying to make sense of all those neurons firing and it's like a more intense version of dreaming. 'The near-death experience is perhaps really the byproduct of the brain's attempt to save itself,' says Borjigan"
While interesting, it's important to remind ourselves that this research is not conclusive: "Borjigin and Mashour hesitate to state a direct connection between their findings and near-death experiences. The links are merely speculative at this point and provide a framework for a human study, Borjigin said."
Re:Hmmm .... (Score:4, Informative)
How does that make you feel?
Really, which of the following two statements is more likely to be true?
Short of some incontrovertible physical evidence for God being involved in the process, me, I'm sticking with option #1 -- and I suspect anybody looking for a scientific answer to this is more likely to buy into random brain activity.
Quite frankly, anybody studying neuroscience will likely as well. The God hypothesis, last I checked, was entirely outside of objective science and therefore not something science can credibly ponder.
Re:Guillotine (Score:2, Informative)
> Kinda like how drowning isn't some quiet sleepy way to go
Breathing isn't triggered by a lack of oxygen but with a high level of CO2. In water or helium* the CO2 is washed out and so there is no panic demand to breathe.
* when airships required maintenance in the gas bags the crew went in with breathing apparatus. If this leaked or failed then the worker carried on without any signs of distress until he dropped dead.
Re:I died and was brought back to life (Score:5, Informative)
This time, my heart just plain stopped. I was dead.
Possible, but quite unlikely. If the EMS dudes shocked you back to life as you say, then you were likely experiencing ventricular fibrillation. [wikipedia.org] Had your heart fully stopped, there would have been no shock, as defibrillation is not indicated for asystole.
Re:Out of Body? (Score:4, Informative)
> Can "out of body BS" be studied scientifically?
Yes. Robert Monroe spent most of his life investigating it, wrote a few books on it, and the Monroe Institute sells Hemi-Sync audio to help take the plunge.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Monroe [wikipedia.org]
Determination and proper rest are the most important ingredients for success.
> "Hallucination covers it. No reason to suspect otherwise." is, well, as anti-science a statement as you could make.
Agreed. Those who have never had an OBE (out-of-body experience) always ignorantly & loudly play the "Hallucination" card around when they don't know what the fuck they are talking about. The best part is that when these pseudo-skeptics die will have first hand experience of just how wrong they were.
Reddit has an very good sub-reddit reddit.com/r/LucidDreaming that is an excellent stepping stone to the full OBE.
Re:Guillotine (Score:4, Informative)
The research is badly incomplete. I met a man who was DOA and dead for 30 mins. He was able to recall everything that happened to him. There are few cases where the EEG is flat yet the person has full memory.
> even if consciousness lasts for another 10 seconds instead of 30.
Consciousness can't be killed as you will find out past your death. The ignorance of Scientists is to keep arguing over what can be conscious and what can't be. Peter Russel has a excellent presentation that goes over the fallacies of this argument.
* The Primacy of Consciousness - Peter Russell - Full Version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d4ugppcRUE [youtube.com]
--
"Only ignorant Scientists try to pretend the boundaries of Science don't exist by saying What Is and What Isn't possible."