PLoS ONE
March 27, 2013
Marie Thonnard, Vanessa Charland-Verville, Serge Brédart et al.
140 citations
Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) are not well explained. Because NDEs are sometimes considered imagined, researchers compared the phenomenological characteristics of NDE memories with memories of real and imagined events. Coma survivors with NDEs (8), with coma memories but no NDE (6), and without coma memories (7), plus 18 healthy volunteers, completed the Memory Characteristics Questionnaire. NDE memories had more characteristics than memories of imagined or real events, and more self-referential and emotional information and better clarity than coma memories. These findings suggest NDE memories cannot be considered imagined events; they may be perceived as real despite not being lived in physical reality.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
March 1, 2009
Athena Demertzi, Charlene Liew, Didier Ledoux et al.
125 citations
Attitudes about whether mind and brain are separate or the same thing vary by age, gender, and religious belief. Two surveys—one of university students in Edinburgh (250 people) and another of health-care workers and the public in Liège (1,858 people)—found that dualistic views (seeing mind and brain as distinct) were common. In the Liège survey, younger participants, women, and those with religious beliefs were more likely to endorse separation of mind and brain, survival of a spiritual part after death, and the existence of a soul distinct from the body. Religious belief was the strongest predictor of dualism. Over a third of medical and paramedical professionals also regarded mind and brain as separate, even though most health-care workers rejected that distinction.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
May 27, 2014
Vanessa Charland-Verville, Jean-Pierre Jourdan, Marie Thonnard et al.
116 citations
Near death experiences (NDEs) reported after a non-life-threatening event (NDE-like) are similar in intensity and content to those occurring after a pathological coma (real NDE). In a retrospective analysis of 190 reports meeting the Greyson NDE scale threshold (score >7/32), the most common feature was peacefulness (89-93%), and only 1% recounted a negative experience. The intensity and features did not differ between NDE-like and real NDE groups, nor among coma causes (anoxic, traumatic, other). However, the core features were more frequently reported in this retrospective anoxic cohort compared to historical prospective data, suggesting that retrospective recall may shape the experience's content.
Brain Structure and Function
January 1, 2021
Jitka Annen, Rajanikant Panda, Charlotte Martial et al.
15 citations
A world champion free diver's brain activity and connectivity shift markedly during a 6.5-minute breath-hold. EEG shows increased alpha wave power and connectivity, with decreased delta band connectivity. fMRI reveals heightened connectivity within the default mode network and visual areas, but reduced connectivity in sensorimotor cortices. These changes overlap with some meditation-related brain signatures but also include unique features suggesting altered somatosensory integration. Self-reports indicate that elite free divers may achieve a state of sensory dissociation during prolonged apnea, reflecting their ability to adapt psychologically and physiologically to extreme breath-holding.
NeuroImage
September 1, 2024
Charlotte Martial, Andrea Piarulli, Olivia Gosseries et al.
10 citations
During fainting, some people have dream-like experiences with extraordinary, mystical features similar to near-death experiences. In 22 healthy volunteers who fainted under controlled conditions, eight reported such near-death-like features. Their brain activity showed higher electrical activity in delta, theta, and beta2 frequency bands in temporal and frontal regions, including the insula, right temporoparietal junction, and cingulate cortex. The richer the experience, the stronger the activity in these areas. The brains of those with near-death-like experiences also showed more complex, more connected, and more integrated neural networks compared to those without such experiences. These surges of neural activity may mark disconnected consciousness during fainting.
Trials
May 28, 2025
Veerle De Sloovere, Liese Mebis, Pieter Wouters et al.
9 citations
Ketamine, a sedative and analgesic, has been avoided in severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) due to a precaution about raising intracranial pressure (ICP). Observational studies and two meta-analyses do not suggest that ketamine increases ICP in sedated, mechanically ventilated TBI patients. The Brain Injury and Ketamine (BIKe) study is a planned prospective, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial. It will test whether adding ketamine (1 mg/kg/h continuous infusion) to standard sedation in 100 adult ICU patients with severe TBI is safe and reduces the need for other therapies to control ICP. The primary safety endpoint is the median number of high ICP episodes per ICU stay.
Médecine Intensive Réanimation
July 30, 2020
Floriane Rousseaux, Aminata Bicego, Christophe Malengreaux et al.
2 citations
Hypnosis can increase comfort for patients in intensive care by significantly reducing pain and anxiety. Neuroimaging shows altered brain activation and functional connectivity in networks related to internal and external awareness and sensory perceptions such as pain. Hypnotic techniques may help improve respiratory weaning conditions for intubated and ventilated patients. Although some emerging studies investigate effective use of hypnosis in intensive care, controlled and randomized trials are still needed to draw conclusions about precise benefits.