First ever recording of dying brain in its final moments
The first ever recording of a dying brain has been revealed – and in fact, it's possible that we might relive some of our best memories in our last moments.
Scientists have accidentally captured our most complex organ as it shut down, showing an astonishing snapshot into death. Similar brainwave changes have been seen in rats at the time of death, but never in humans before.
A patient being treated for epilepsy was hooked up to an electroencephalogram (EEG) when the recording was made. The 87-year-old man’s brain activity was being measured when he suddenly had a heart attack and died. This means that the 15 minutes leading up to his death were recorded on the EEG.
In the 30 seconds either side of the patient’s final heartbeat, an increase in very specific brainwaves were spotted. These waves, known as gamma oscillations, are linked to things like memory retrieval, meditation and dreaming.
This could mean that although many more studies would need to take place – we might see a sort of film reel of our best memories, or we could enter a peaceful dreamlike state in our final moments that has a response in our brain akin to meditation.
As our bodies shut down, our brains could still be working hard in a concerted effort to deliver its final task.
Neurosurgeon Dr Ajmal Zemmar at the University of Louisville, who organised the study said: “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.
The study, published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, said: “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 co-ordinated activity during the near-death period.
This single case study could now pave the wave for a greater understanding about what happens to us when we die.
But, Dr Zemmar added: “Something we may learn from this research is: although our loved ones have their eyes closed and are ready to leave us to rest, their brains may be replaying some of the nicest moments they experienced in their lives."
Image: Getty