Does the arousal system contribute to near death experience?
Neurology April 10, 2006 Kevin R. Nelson, Michelle Mattingly, Sherman A. Lee et al. 120 citations
People who have had a near-death experience (NDE) are more likely to have previously experienced REM sleep intrusion—such as sleep paralysis or sleep-related hallucinations—than those who have not. This supports the hypothesis that REM intrusion, which can occur during wakefulness, contributes to the subjective aspects of NDEs. In a study of 55 individuals with NDEs and matched controls, sleep paralysis and visual or auditory hallucinations during sleep were substantially more common in the NDE group. The findings suggest that under life-threatening circumstances, an NDE is more likely in those predisposed to REM intrusion, possibly involving suppression of the locus ceruleus.