Consciousness and the Dying Brain
George A. Mashour
Anesthesiology, Vol. 140
Summary
Comprehensive review of near-death experience epidemiology and the neurophysiological mechanisms of consciousness in the dying brain. Mashour, Chair of Anesthesiology at the University of Michigan, synthesizes clinical NDE incidence data (10-20% after in-hospital cardiac arrest) with laboratory evidence for gamma oscillation surges following cardiac and respiratory arrest. Contextualizes the Xu et al. 2023 PNAS findings within the broader NDE and dying-brain literature, representing the leading institutional voice on this topic.
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. The near-death experience has been reported since antiquity, with an incidence of more than 10% after in-hospital cardiac arrest. The authors review the evidence for neurophysiologic mechanisms of consciousness in the dying brain.
Citation
George A. Mashour. (2024). Anesthesiology. Vol. 140. DOI: 10.1097/ALN.0000000000004970
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