Brain Waves Surge Moments Before Death...
Surges in brain activity, just before death, seen in a study of seven patients.
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By Irene Klotz
06 Oct 2009
A study of seven
terminally ill patients finds identical surges in brain activity moments
before death, providing what may be physiological evidence of "out of
body" experiences.
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iStockPhoto
A study of seven terminally ill patients finds identical surges in brain activity moments before death, providing what may be physiological evidence of "out of body" experiences reported by people who survive near-death ordeals.
Doctors at George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates recorded brain activity of people dying from critical illnesses, such as cancer, or heart attacks.
Moments before death, patients experienced a burst in brain wave activity, with the spikes occurring at the same time before death, and at comparable intensity and duration.
Writing in the October issue of the Journal of Palliative Medicine, doctors theorize the brain surges may be tied to widely reported near-death experiences, which typically involve spiritual or religious attributes.
At first, doctors thought the electrical surges picked up by electroencephalographs were caused by other machines or cell phones in the rooms of dying patients, lead author Lakhmir Chawla tells Discovery News.
The EECs were used to monitor patients' level of consciousness, as doctors and families wrestle with end-of-life issues.
"We did it when patients wanted to withdraw life support, to make sure patients are comfortable, as we withdraw care," Chawla says.
Medical staff kept seeing spikes in patients' brainwaves just before death.
"We thought 'Hey, that's odd. What was that?'" Chawla says.
"We thought there was a cell phone or a machine on in the room that created this anomaly.
"When we started removing things, turning off cell phones and machines, we saw it was still happening."
Doctors believe they are seeing the brain's neurons discharge, as they lose oxygen from lack of blood pressure.
"All the neurons are connected, and when they lose oxygen, their ability to maintain electrical potential goes away," Chawla says.
"I think when people lose all their blood flow, neurons all fire in very close proximity, and you get a big domino effect.
"We think this could explain the spike."
It's possible a cutoff of oxygen would trigger a similar, but recoverable, event which becomes seared into memory.
"Not everyone reports this light sort of business.
"What you hear most often reported in near-death experiences, is just a vivid memory," Chawla says.
Brain researcher, Kevin Nelson, at the University of Kentucky, who studies near-death experiences, says it's well known, when the brain is abruptly deprived of blood flow, it gives off a burst of high voltage energy.
"It's unlikely, with conventional brainwave recordings during death, they're going to see something not seen already," Nelson says.
Chawla and colleagues would like to follow up their case study with a larger pool of patients, outfitted with more sophisticated brain activity sensors.
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