Neuroscientific model of near-death experiences finds consistent physiological pattern

Amazing stuff!

"A multidisciplinary team led by the University of Liège has proposed a unified neuroscientific model explaining the mechanisms behind near-death experiences (NDEs), drawing on converging empirical findings across neurobiology, psychology, and evolutionary theory.

Findings suggest that factors such as oxygen deprivation, increased carbon dioxide, and disrupted brain energy metabolism can initiate brain responses that lead to vivid perceptual and emotional experiences often reported during NDEs. ...

A consistent pattern of physiological disruption emerged during cardiac arrest and other critical events. Reduced cerebral blood flow triggers hypoxia and elevates carbon dioxide levels.

A cascade of factors then induces cerebral acidosis and depletes ATP, the cell's primary energy source, and produces a surge in neurotransmitter release across multiple brain systems, including serotonin, dopamine, glutamate, noradrenaline, GABA, acetylcholine, and endorphins.

Key mechanistic details include elevated serotonin levels and 5-HT2A receptor activation, potentially contributing to visual hallucinations and feelings of hyper-reality. Dopamine release may influence emotional salience. Noradrenaline and acetylcholine appear linked to memory encoding. GABA and endorphins are proposed to induce calming sensations.

Researchers found parallels between NDEs and psychedelic-induced states, particularly with substances like DMT and ketamine, which affect similar receptor systems.

Psychological traits such as dissociation proneness and REM sleep intrusion tendencies may predispose individuals to experiencing NDEs under stress. 

Findings also suggest that NDEs and death-feigning behaviors (thanatosis) may share evolutionary roots as coping mechanisms.

Based on the convergence of neurobiological and psychological responses to severe physiological stress, researchers crafted NEPTUNE (Neurophysiological Evolutionary Psychological Theory Understanding Near-death Experience), a model to provide a comprehensive framework integrating diverse lines of evidence. ..."

From the abstract:

"Near-death experiences (NDEs) are episodes of disconnected consciousness that typically occur in situations that involve an actual or potential physical threat or are perceived as such, and the experiences are characterized by a rich content with prototypical mystical features.

Several explanatory theories for NDEs have been proposed, ranging from psychological or neurophysiological to evolutionary models. However, these concepts were often formulated independently, and, owing to the fragmented nature of research in this domain, integration of these ideas has been limited. Lines of empirical evidence from different areas of neuroscience, including non-human studies, studies investigating psychedelic-induced mystical experiences in humans, and research on the dying brain, are now converging to provide a comprehensive explanation for NDEs.

In this Review, we discuss processes that might underlie the rich conscious experience in NDEs, mostly focusing on prototypical examples and addressing both the potential psychological mechanisms and neurophysiological changes, including cellular and electrophysiological brain network modifications and alterations in neurotransmitter release.

On the basis of this discussion, we propose a model for NDEs that encompasses a cascade of concomitant psychological and neurophysiological processes within an evolutionary framework. We also consider how NDE research can inform the debate on the emergence of consciousness in near-death conditions that arise before brain death."

Neuroscientific model of near-death experiences finds consistent physiological pattern

A new neuroscientific model to explain near-death experiences (NDEs) (original news release) "In an article recently published in Nature Reviews Neurology, a team of researchers ... propose a new neuroscientific model of near-death experiences (NDEs). For the first time in the field, this article integrates data from various neuroscience disciplines and an in-depth analysis of the different mechanisms at work, offering a solid explanation for the occurrence of these fascinating phenomena in critical contexts, such as cardiac arrest."

A neuroscientific model of near-death experiences (no public access)

Burst of brain activity during dying could explain life passing before your eyes

Amazing stuff! Are we beginning to learn more about our soul?

"... The team identified four patients who passed away due to cardiac arrest in the hospital while under EEG monitoring. All four of the patients were comatose and unresponsive. They were ultimately determined to be beyond medical help and, with their families’ permission, removed from life support.

Upon removal of ventilator support, two of the patients showed an increase in heart rate along with a surge of gamma wave activity, considered the fastest brain activity and associated with consciousness.
Furthermore, the activity was detected in the so-called hot zone of neural correlates of consciousness in the brain, the junction between the temporal, parietal and occipital lobes in the back of the brain. This area has been correlated with dreaming, visual hallucinations in epilepsy, and altered states of consciousness in other brain studies. ...
Because of the small sample size, the authors caution against making any global statements about the implications of the findings. ..."

From the significance and abstract:

"Significance

Is it possible for the human brain to be activated by the dying process? We addressed this issue by analyzing the electroencephalograms (EEG) of four dying patients before and after the clinical withdrawal of their ventilatory support and found that the resultant global hypoxia markedly stimulated gamma activities in two of the patients. The surge of gamma connectivity was both local, within the temporo–parieto–occipital (TPO) junctions, and global between the TPO zones and the contralateral prefrontal areas. While the mechanisms and physiological significance of these findings remain to be fully explored, these data demonstrate that the dying brain can still be active. They also suggest the need to reevaluate role of the brain during cardiac arrest.

Abstract

The brain is assumed to be hypoactive during cardiac arrest. However, animal models of cardiac and respiratory arrest demonstrate a surge of gamma oscillations and functional connectivity. To investigate whether these preclinical findings translate to humans, we analyzed electroencephalogram and electrocardiogram signals in four comatose dying patients before and after the withdrawal of ventilatory support. Two of the four patients exhibited a rapid and marked surge of gamma power, surge of cross-frequency coupling of gamma waves with slower oscillations, and increased interhemispheric functional and directed connectivity in gamma bands. High-frequency oscillations paralleled the activation of beta/gamma cross-frequency coupling within the somatosensory cortices. Importantly, both patients displayed surges of functional and directed connectivity at multiple frequency bands within the posterior cortical “hot zone,” a region postulated to be critical for conscious processing. This gamma activity was stimulated by global hypoxia and surged further as cardiac conditions deteriorated in the dying patients. These data demonstrate that the surge of gamma power and connectivity observed in animal models of cardiac arrest can be observed in select patients during the process of dying."

Evidence of conscious-like activity in the dying brain  A small study finds intriguing brain wave patterns in comatose patients who died following cardiac arrest. Reports of near-death experiences -- with tales of white light, visits from departed loved ones, hearing voices, among other attributes -- capture our imagination and are deeply engrained in our cultural landscape.

Evidence of conscious-like activity in the dying brain A study finds intriguing brain wave patterns in comatose patients who died following cardiac arrest

Surge of neurophysiological coupling and connectivity of gamma oscillations in the dying human brain (open access)

Fig. 1 Global hypoxia-induced surge of high-frequency oscillations in the brain of dying patients.

Virtual Reality Can Now Help 'See' Death Before Dying with Palki Sharma

Some food for thought! The claims are most likely exaggerated!

EEG of dying man shows hypoactive state of brain activity right before death

One hast to ask whether the attending medical staff should not have tried to rescue the man after he had his heart attack or did they try?

"... While an 87-year-old man with epilepsy was strapped to a machine that scanned his brain, searching for signs of seizures, the patient, unfortunately, suffered a heart attack and died shortly after. But the man’s tragic death offered scientists the opportunity of a lifetime, allowing them to record brain activity 30 seconds prior to and after the patient’s heart stopped beating. ...
The recorded brain waves suggest that, as we die, we experience the same neural activity as during dreaming, recalling memories, or meditating. ..."

From the abstract:

"The neurophysiological footprint of brain activity after cardiac arrest and during near-death experience (NDE) is not well understood. Although a hypoactive state of brain activity has been assumed, experimental animal studies have shown increased activity after cardiac arrest, particularly in the gamma-band, resulting from hypercapnia prior to and cessation of cerebral blood flow after cardiac arrest. No study has yet investigated this matter in humans. Here, we present continuous electroencephalography (EEG) recording from a dying human brain, obtained from an 87-year-old patient undergoing cardiac arrest after traumatic subdural hematoma. An increase of absolute power in gamma activity in the narrow and broad bands and a decrease in theta power is seen after suppression of bilateral hemispheric responses. After cardiac arrest, delta, beta, alpha and gamma power were decreased but a higher percentage of relative gamma power was observed when compared to the interictal interval. Cross-frequency coupling revealed modulation of left-hemispheric gamma activity by alpha and theta rhythms across all windows, even after cessation of cerebral blood flow. The strongest coupling is observed for narrow- and broad-band gamma activity by the alpha waves during left-sided suppression and after cardiac arrest. Albeit the influence of neuronal injury and swelling, our data provide the first evidence from the dying human brain in a non-experimental, real-life acute care clinical setting and advocate that the human brain may possess the capability to generate coordinated activity during the near-death period."

Brain scan of dying man shows 'life flashing before their eyes' The findings could finally explain, at least partly, mysterious near-death experiences some people have.

Enhanced Interplay of Neuronal Coherence and Coupling in the Dying Human Brain (open access)

Multiverse Questions!

Posted: 10/1/2014 Updated: 11/8/2014

Accepting The Multiverse

If we assume for arguments sake that the universe is not alone and that there are other verses out there parallel to our universe. Are there infinite verses or finite verses? I am inclined to believe in a multiverse.

Is our universe just one of many other verses, like our galaxy Milky Way is only one of many galaxies in our universe?

Here is a recent article published in Quanta Magazine (11/3/2014).

Here is a longer article published in the Scientific American in 2003 about this subject.

God In A Multiverse

Forget about any anthropomorphic aspects of God. As I wrote here before, God is probably more about multiversal principals like perhaps the Golden Rule for living beings on this planet than anything else.

God may also be an optimist, how else would you explain love, freedom, self-improvement, or happiness of living beings on this planet.

In a multiverse, God probably cannot be omnipresent, omniscient, or omnipotent or even interfere with human fate on a daily basis. God is probably no central planner and no micromanager.

Human Consciousness

Probably, never really understood by any human in history! Most humans would probably agree that consciousness exists. Probably, even atheists have a consciousness. I am not so sure about lefties, communists, authoritarians, socialists and others of this ilk.

Is it possible that the consciousness of living beings is an expression emanating from another verse? This would suggest that the multiverse permeates our universe in some form or way.

Immortality Of The Soul

We have known for thousands of years that many humans strongly believe in something after death. For at least several decades, we have known of increased research into near death experiences (NDE) or out of body experience, but according to Wikipedia Plato already mentions a soldier appearing to tell about his NDE, the Myth of Er.

Once multiversality is established, why should humans or animals or even plants not live on after death in some form or the other perhaps transcending from this universe to another verse.

Rethinking E = EMC2

Einstein’s most famous and most popular formula is in question. In a multiverse, matter may not matter any more (excuse my pun). Other verses may have different forms of matter or no matter at all.

Have you ever wondered:

1. Why time goes only forward in our universe?
2. Why there is an absolute temperature minimum such as 0 Kelvin in our universe?
3. Why there is a speed limit of light in our universe?
4. And so on …

Don’t these limits appear to be arbitrary in some way?

Thus, I would propose an equation like E = P. P stands for some principles not yet know to humans. It appears energy may be the only concept that may be observable in other verses.

Dark Matter & Energy

This was only discovered very recently. We humans still do not have a good understanding of it. Perhaps, these related to other verses.

Subatomic Particles

As I have blogged here previously, the subatomic particle zoo and the theories proffered by our physicists are not getting better or any closer to explaining these particles.

As I said above, perhaps matter does not really matter and there are some other principles at work here that still await to be discovered, perhaps by another human like Albert Einstein.