What happens when our heart stops and we die? This is probably one of the greatest questions that preoccupies humanity. It hasn’t been answered definitively yet. However, researchers from the medical department of New York University (USA) have now come to a crucial finding: when our heart stops beating and the body stops functioning, our consciousness can still be active.
For the study, the researchers examined 567 male and female people who had suffered a cardiac arrest. They were effectively dead, but could be revived. A person is officially declared dead when the heart stops beating and blood flow to the brain stops. This stops all brain functions and reflexes.
Near-dead people heard whole conversations during their CPR
The testimonies of the study participants are remarkable: Although they had already been pronounced dead, some reported overhearing entire conversations and sequences of events when they were being resuscitated. The content of the conversations was then confirmed by the nursing staff present, the medical team and the family members. In one case, one of the participants could even feel the emergency room doctors administering chest compressions during CPR.
“These experiences cannot be thought of as a trick of a dying brain, but are a uniquely human experience that takes place on the verge of death,” Dr. Sam Parnia, who led the study, told the medical news site Medical News Today.
Perception still intact due to increased brain function
The reason such experiences are possible is increased brain activity, the researchers found. Despite the lack of blood flow, the participants’ brains showed a high level of activity.
This is because when death occurs, in addition to brain functions, many of the natural braking systems are also shut down. The systems serve differently to protect the brain against overstimulation. According to the researchers, the ‘disinhibition’ during death then opens doors to a further consciousness, so that even without far-reaching bodily functions our perception is still partially intact.
The purpose of this finding is still unclear. dr According to Parnia, however, it “raises intriguing questions about human consciousness, even after death”. (Hi)