The heart shuts, breath goes out, and several other parts of the body also get shut. At this time, the person is pronounced dead and seizes to exist. However, scientists say that people still have their consciousness enough to be aware that they are actually dead. This means that they would be able to hear the things around them.
Scientists and neurologists have all found brain activities at the time of death. Further studies have been done by Dr. Sam Parnia, a director of resuscitation research at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. The studies were carried out using near-death experiences (NDEs) which proved that the human brain remains conscious for about two to 20 seconds after our breathing and heartbeat stop.
How and Why Dead People Are Still Conscious Shortly After They Die
According to a study by Dr. Sam Parnia, it can take time for the brain to fully shut down. At the time, the brain loses its stem reflexes but the cerebral cortex which can survive about 2 to 20 seconds without oxygen still exits.
This is partly why the brain can assimilate even when a person dies.
You may want to ask how scientists have reached this conclusion. Dr. Sam Parnia, a director of resuscitation research at the State University of New York at Stony Brook studied near-death experiences (NDEs) to be able to gain a better knowledge of how the brain works and whether humans can know what happens around them after they die.
Mainly, people who have survived cardiac arrest later describe accurately the things that happened around them after their hearts stopped beating. These people have been able to be revived through cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). If this is successful, then blood will start to flow into the brain.
This will provide about 15% of the oxygen needed to perform normal brain function. This is possible because the brain cell pathways can be opened even after the heart shuts down. Also, this is proof that the brain is still conscious even when the heart is not.
Neuroscientists’ Findings on How the Brain Works During and After Death
According to other neuroscientists, the dying brain was recorded and it was discovered to have rhythmic brain wave patterns. This pattern is similar to what happens to the brain during dreaming, meditation, and memory recall.
The study also gives an insight into a near-death experience. In this case as earlier mentioned, the brain can remain active and coordinated during and after transitioning to death.
One interesting aspect of this study by Dr. Raul Vicente is that it shows that even at death, there is a high oscillation (rhythmic or repetitive patterns of neural activity in the central nervous system). Through this process, the brain gathers memory which it plays. The study is the first to measure live brain activity during the process of dying in humans.
While this may be vital to the study, “the measurements are based on a single case and stem from the brain of a patient who had suffered injury, seizures, and swelling, which complicates the interpretation of the data” (per Frontiers Science News). Either way, there are intentions for the neurosurgeon to make several other findings.
Whatever the case and judging based on the already existing finding of the research, it has been recorded that the brain at the time of one’s death may replay some of the greatest moments one has experienced in their life.
See Also: True Stories Of People Who Resurrected After They Died
Scientific Prove that People Who Die Are Still Conscious of What Is Happening Around Them
From the testimonies given by some people, they were aware of people pacing and doing other things around them after they die. In a surprising manner, many of those experiences have been confirmed to be accurate by some health practitioners who were present at the time.
Looking more into the studies of Parnia, he interviewed about 140 survivors of cardiac arrest. From the interviews, about 101 reported having perceived awareness or memories during cardiac arrest. Then, only 2 percent reported that they had auditory and visual sensations at the time they were resuscitated.
- 27 percent said they felt events were speeding up or slowing down
- 22 percent reported feeling a sense of peace or pleasantness
- 13 percent said their senses felt more vivid than usual
- 13 percent said they felt separated from their bodies
- 0 percent said they saw scenes from the future
To cap it all, scientists have continually studied the function of the brain at the time of one’s death. Others have even gone deeper to search for what happens after life. So far, there have been intricate testimonies from NDEs about experiencing peace, meeting family members and etc. Going a little outside of science, there are testimonies of people who have claimed to have reincarnated.
This then leaves us with more questions about what truly happens after life and if science can make more findings about people after they die. Before then, the not-so-common continues to happen and perhaps science may have an explanation as to why a man has the ability to lay eggs.
