Near-death experiences (NDEs) are profound mental events occurring near biological death, often explained materialistically as hallucinations. Recent animal and clinical studies report a surge of high-frequency electroencephalogram (EEG) activity, specifically gamma-band activity (GBA), around the time of death, when cortical activity is otherwise low. This perimortem GBA burst has been proposed as the neural basis of NDE. This study examines three questions: whether standard GBA is contaminated by muscle artifacts, whether NDE-mimicking agents also involve GBA, and whether the surge originates subcortically (in the amygdala) and is recorded at the cortex via volume conduction. The authors conclude that while the GBA surge is genuine and intriguing, evidence does not support it as the neurobiological foundation for NDE.
Near-death experiences (NDEs) are profound mental events occurring near biological death, often interpreted as hallucinations by materialist theories. Recent animal and clinical studies report a paradoxical surge of high-frequency gamma-band activity (GBA) in the electroencephalogram around the time of death, when cortical activity is otherwise low. This perimortem GBA burst has been proposed as the neural basis of NDE. The study examines three issues: whether standard GBA is contaminated by muscle artifacts; whether NDE-mimicking agents also involve GBA; and the origin of the perimortem GBA surge, which may arise subcortically in the amygdala and be recorded at the cortex via volume conduction. Although intriguing, there is little evidence this GBA surge could serve as a neurobiological foundation for NDE.