What happens in the brain when we die? Deciphering the neurophysiology of the final moments in life
When do we die and what happens in the brain when we die? The mystery around these questions has engaged mankind for centuries. Despite the challenges to obtain recordings of the dying brain, recent studies have contributed to better understand the processes occurring during the last moments of life...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2023.1143848/full |
| _version_ | 1797831026194513920 |
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| author | Nathan A. Shlobin Nathan A. Shlobin Jaan Aru Raul Vicente Ajmal Zemmar Ajmal Zemmar |
| author_facet | Nathan A. Shlobin Nathan A. Shlobin Jaan Aru Raul Vicente Ajmal Zemmar Ajmal Zemmar |
| author_sort | Nathan A. Shlobin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | When do we die and what happens in the brain when we die? The mystery around these questions has engaged mankind for centuries. Despite the challenges to obtain recordings of the dying brain, recent studies have contributed to better understand the processes occurring during the last moments of life. In this review, we summarize the literature on neurophysiological changes around the time of death. Perhaps the only subjective description of death stems from survivors of near-death experiences (NDEs). Hallmarks of NDEs include memory recall, out-of-body experiences, dreaming, and meditative states. We survey the evidence investigating neurophysiological changes of these experiences in healthy subjects and attempt to incorporate this knowledge into the existing literature investigating the dying brain to provide valuations for the neurophysiological footprint and timeline of death. We aim to identify reasons explaining the variations of data between studies investigating this field and provide suggestions to standardize research and reduce data variability. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T13:46:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fca31b7e719741bb98819fbb0c2f080e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1663-4365 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T13:46:32Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-fca31b7e719741bb98819fbb0c2f080e2023-05-09T04:41:03ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience1663-43652023-05-011510.3389/fnagi.2023.11438481143848What happens in the brain when we die? Deciphering the neurophysiology of the final moments in lifeNathan A. Shlobin0Nathan A. Shlobin1Jaan Aru2Raul Vicente3Ajmal Zemmar4Ajmal Zemmar5Department of Neurosurgery, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Henan University School of Medicine, Zhengzhou, ChinaDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United StatesInstitute of Computer Science, University of Tartu, Tartu, EstoniaInstitute of Computer Science, University of Tartu, Tartu, EstoniaDepartment of Neurosurgery, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Henan University School of Medicine, Zhengzhou, ChinaDepartment of Neurological Surgery, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, United StatesWhen do we die and what happens in the brain when we die? The mystery around these questions has engaged mankind for centuries. Despite the challenges to obtain recordings of the dying brain, recent studies have contributed to better understand the processes occurring during the last moments of life. In this review, we summarize the literature on neurophysiological changes around the time of death. Perhaps the only subjective description of death stems from survivors of near-death experiences (NDEs). Hallmarks of NDEs include memory recall, out-of-body experiences, dreaming, and meditative states. We survey the evidence investigating neurophysiological changes of these experiences in healthy subjects and attempt to incorporate this knowledge into the existing literature investigating the dying brain to provide valuations for the neurophysiological footprint and timeline of death. We aim to identify reasons explaining the variations of data between studies investigating this field and provide suggestions to standardize research and reduce data variability.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2023.1143848/fulldying braindeathnear-death experiencesoscillationsmemory recallconsciousness |
| spellingShingle | Nathan A. Shlobin Nathan A. Shlobin Jaan Aru Raul Vicente Ajmal Zemmar Ajmal Zemmar What happens in the brain when we die? Deciphering the neurophysiology of the final moments in life Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience dying brain death near-death experiences oscillations memory recall consciousness |
| title | What happens in the brain when we die? Deciphering the neurophysiology of the final moments in life |
| title_full | What happens in the brain when we die? Deciphering the neurophysiology of the final moments in life |
| title_fullStr | What happens in the brain when we die? Deciphering the neurophysiology of the final moments in life |
| title_full_unstemmed | What happens in the brain when we die? Deciphering the neurophysiology of the final moments in life |
| title_short | What happens in the brain when we die? Deciphering the neurophysiology of the final moments in life |
| title_sort | what happens in the brain when we die deciphering the neurophysiology of the final moments in life |
| topic | dying brain death near-death experiences oscillations memory recall consciousness |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2023.1143848/full |
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