Brain activity in near-death experiencers during a meditative state
Resuscitation July 2, 2009 Mario Beauregard, Jérôme Courtemanche, Vincent Paquette 65 citations
Near-death experiencers who mentally visualize and emotionally connect with the 'being of light' they encountered during their experience show distinct brain activity compared to visualizing a lamp's light. Functional MRI reveals activation in regions linked to positive emotions, visual imagery, attention, and spiritual experiences, including the right brainstem, orbitofrontal and prefrontal cortices, insula, and temporal areas. EEG recordings show greater theta, alpha, and gamma power at multiple electrode sites across frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital regions during the meditation condition. These findings suggest that recalling a near-death experience involves measurable neural changes in emotion and imagery networks.