
What Happens in the Brain Just Before You Die? A Psychologist Explains
Death is a universal experience that we all must confront at some point. However, despite its inevitability, there remains much that we do not understand about the process of dying and what occurs in our brains during this time.
For many years, the notion of what happens in our minds as we approach death has been shrouded in mystery. This phenomenon, often referred to as a “life review,” has garnered significant attention, with some individuals claiming that their lives flashed before them at the moment of death. But, until recently, there was no concrete scientific evidence to support these claims.
That was until a 2022 study published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience caught something remarkable by accident: the first-ever glimpse of the brain in the moments just before and after death.
The research team, led by Dr. Ajmal Zemmar, aimed to monitor the brain activity of an 87-year-old Canadian man with epilepsy. The initial purpose of this scan was to better understand his seizures. However, during the recording process, the patient suffered a sudden heart attack, resulting in no further treatment being administered and the patient ultimately passing away.
In those few seconds before and after death, something extraordinary occurred. An abnormal surge in gamma waves, the highest-frequency brainwaves found in the brain’s memory center, was recorded. This is remarkable because these oscillations are typically associated with memory retrieval, deep meditation, or vivid dreaming.
What does this data reveal? It suggests that, as our bodies begin to shut down, our minds may still be hard at work, replaying some of the most important moments we’ve experienced throughout our lives.
Source: www.forbes.com