Neural regions associated with memories of Recalled Experiences of Death (REDs; authentic Near‑Death Experiences [NDEs]): a preliminary functional MRI study.
José Alonso Ruiz, Mayte Rodríguez-González-Moro, Tomás Segura, Víctor M Serrano del Pueblo, Salvador D Aznar-Cervantes
Resuscitation Plus May 1, 2026 DOI: 10.1016/j.resplu.2026.101332 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 15 |
| Population | Participants with clinically documented life-threatening events and loss of consciousness |
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Keywords | Autobiographical memory Near-death experience nde Neuroimaging |
| Key findings | Reliving of RED/authentic NDE memories was associated with engagement of brain networks implicated in autobiographical memory and the default mode network, suggesting introspective and self-referential processes. |
Abstract
This observational study examined brain activation patterns when people relive their memories of recalled experiences of death (REDs), also known as authentic near-death experience (NDE) memories, using structural and functional MRI under normal cerebral perfusion in participants with clinically documented life-threatening events and loss of consciousness. Fifteen participants (7 women, 8 men; aged 18-75) were evaluated using two scanners. A block-design paradigm (recall RED-rest) was applied, with prior psychological training, physiological monitoring, and radiological review. Analysis was performed using SPM25. A whole-brain threshold was applied at an uncorrected level of p < 0.001 with a minimum cluster extent of k ≥ 10 voxels. Region-of-interest (ROI) analyses were performed using small-volume correction with voxel-wise family-wise error (FWE) correction (pFWE < 0.05). Significant activations were observed in the precuneus (BA7), posterior cingulate cortex (BA23/31), medial prefrontal cortex (BA10), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (BA9/46), angular gyrus (BA39), secondary visual cortex (BA18/19), middle temporal gyrus (BA21), and orbitofrontal cortex (BA47). The parahippocampal region (BA36) showed a non-significant trend. No activation was found in primary sensorimotor or limbic areas. The reliving of RED/authentic NDE memories was associated with the engagement of brain networks implicated in autobiographical memory and the default mode network (DMN), suggesting the involvement of introspective and self-referential processes. The observed activation patterns were not consistent with those typically reported for primary sensory hallucinations. Controlled reliving of memories of REDs/authentic NDEs may represent a useful experimental paradigm for investigating multisensory autobiographical memory and neural processes related to conscious self-experience. These findings are consistent with vivid episodic recollection and differ from neural patterns commonly associated with imagined or false memories.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on near-death experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands Cardiac patients successfully resuscitated after cardiac arrest in ten Dutch hospitals | 2001 | Prospective cohort study | n = 344 |
| Incidence and correlates of near-death experiences in a cardiac care unit Cardiac inpatients at a tertiary care center | 2003 | Observational cohort | n = 1,595 |
| Features of "near-death experience" in relation to whether or not patients were near death Patients who believed they were near death during an illness or after an injury and... | 1990 | Observational cohort | n = 58 |
| The phenomenology of near-death experiences Subjects who reported near-death experiences | 1980 | Retrospective study | n = 78 |
| Near-Death Experiences and the Temporal Lobe Individuals who reported having had a near-death experience during a life-threatening... | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cites 19
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 23, 2012
- The Near-Death Experience Scale The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease June 1, 1983
- Neural correlates of a mystical experience in Carmelite nuns Neuroscience Letters July 27, 2006
- Incidence and correlates of near-death experiences in a cardiac care unit General Hospital Psychiatry July 1, 2003
and 14 more in the library