Consciousness and the Dying Brain.

Near-death experiences have been reported since antiquity and often involve perceptions of light, interactions with entities, and life recall. After in-hospital cardiac arrest, such experiences occur in 10 to 20% of cases. Recent neurophysiologic evidence suggests a surge of gamma oscillations and increased cortical connectivity following cardiac and respiratory arrest, offering a biological basis for this conscious experience.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The near-death experience has been reported since antiquity and is often characterized by the perception of light, interactions with other entities, and life recall. Near-death experiences can occur in a variety of situations, but they have been studied systematically after in-hospital cardiac arrest, with an incidence of 10 to 20%. Long attributed to metaphysical or supernatural causes, there have been recent advances in understanding the neurophysiologic basis of this unique category of conscious experience. This article reviews the epidemiology and neurobiology of near-death experiences, with a focus on clinical and laboratory evidence for a surge of neurophysiologic gamma oscillations and cortical connectivity after cardiac and respiratory arrest.