FILE IMAGE - Medical imaging is shown at a hospital in Savoie, France. (Photo by: BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) LOUISVILLE, Ky. - What happens in the brain when we die?
Memorable moments in life may indeed flash before our eyes, the first-ever recording of a dying human brain suggests. "Life recall," or the process of reliving memories of one's life in a matter of seconds when experiencing a near-death experience or death itself, has puzzled neuroscientists for centuries.
A new study, published this week by Dr. Ajmal Zemmar of the University of Louisville and colleagues based worldwide, suggests that the brain may remain active during — and even after — the transition to death."It opens an interesting question to me on when you define death," Zemmar said in a statement announcing the new research."That plays a big role for questions such as, when do you go ahead with organ donation?
When are we dead? When the heart stops beating because the brain keeps going... We may have tapped the door open now to start a discussion about that exact time onset."The findings were somewhat accidental, in that an 87-year-old patient who developed epilepsy underwent electroencephalography (EEG) to detect the seizures.