Surge of neurophysiological coherence and connectivity in the dying brain.
Jimo Borjigin, UnCheol Lee, Tiecheng Liu, Dinesh Pal, Sean Huff, Daniel Klarr, Jennifer Sloboda, Jason Hernandez, Michael M Wang, George A. Mashour
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences August 27, 2013 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1308285110 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Rats |
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Keywords | Consciousness Global hypoxia Global ischemia |
| Key findings | The brain generates a transient surge of global, highly coherent gamma oscillations within the first 30 seconds after cardiac arrest, exceeding waking-state levels. |
Abstract
The brain is assumed to be hypoactive during cardiac arrest. However, the neurophysiological state of the brain immediately following cardiac arrest has not been systematically investigated. In this study, we performed continuous electroencephalography in rats undergoing experimental cardiac arrest and analyzed changes in power density, coherence, directed connectivity, and cross-frequency coupling. We identified a transient surge of synchronous gamma oscillations that occurred within the first 30 s after cardiac arrest and preceded isoelectric electroencephalogram. Gamma oscillations during cardiac arrest were global and highly coherent; moreover, this frequency band exhibited a striking increase in anterior-posterior-directed connectivity and tight phase-coupling to both theta and alpha waves. High-frequency neurophysiological activity in the near-death state exceeded levels found during the conscious waking state. These data demonstrate that the mammalian brain can, albeit paradoxically, generate neural correlates of heightened conscious processing at near-death.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on near-death experience, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local field potential changes during euthanasia may parallel with near death experience. Rats | 2025 | Experimental study | |
| Identifying neuronal correlates of dying and resuscitation in a model of reversible brain anoxia. Rodents | 2020 | Experimental animal model |
Citations in the library
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- DMT Models the Near-Death Experience Frontiers in Psychology August 15, 2018
- Biosynthesis and Extracellular Concentrations of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in Mammalian Brain. Scientific Reports June 27, 2019
- Neurochemical models of near-death experiences: A large-scale study based on the semantic similarity of written reports. Consciousness and Cognition March 1, 2019
- Near-Death Experience as a Probe to Explore (Disconnected) Consciousness Trends in Cognitive Sciences January 22, 2020
- Neural and subjective effects of inhaled N,N-dimethyltryptamine in natural settings. Journal of Psychopharmacology February 10, 2021
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