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Borjigin and her research team measure and examine neural activities associated with
consciousness following cardiac arrest. Specifically, their research compares brain activity after
cardiac arrest to neural activity during waking and anesthesia. Although it is commonly believed
that the brain shows minimal activity following cardiac arrest, the researchers hypothesized
otherwise.
connectivity between different areas of the brain as indicators of conscious activity. The
researchers used electroencephalograms (EEG) that detect electrical activity in the brain to
collect data about these types of brain activity. To study the near-death stage, the researchers
induced cardiac arrest in the rats. They divided cardiac arrest into four stages based on the
distinct states of brain activity, with the main emphasis on cardiac arrest stage 3 (CAS3).
In CAS3, global coherence within the different lobes of the brain, characterized by
synchronized EEG signals (gamma oscillations), was higher than in waking, under anesthesia, or
during any of the other stages of cardiac arrest. This data convinced the researchers that the brain
is highly synchronized during CAS3, implying consciousness in the near-death state. The
connectivity from the occipital and parietal parts of the brain to the frontal area during the CAS3
phase also suggested high cognitive processing following cardiac arrest. The connectivity levels
during CAS3 were almost equal to those during waking, and much greater than the levels during
the anesthesia state. Furthermore, even though most band frequencies decreased, the researchers
emphasize the notable increase in low-gamma frequency power during CAS3. The researchers
used these data to conclude that the mammalian brain experiences a level of consciousness
Although the majority of the data presented supports the researchers’ hypothesis, there
are some questions of validity to be considered. The discussed increases in brain activity
observed during CAS3 only occurred on low-gamma frequencies. Low-gamma frequencies make
up only a small fraction of brain waves. There was a decrease on all other frequencies during
CAS3, but this was not sufficiently addressed in the article. In addition, the researchers focused
much of the discussion on the evidence from the CAS3 stage of cardiac arrest, instead of
thoroughly analyzing the brain activity from all four stages (CAS1-CAS4). It is also worth
noting the experiment’s small sample size; only nine rats were tested. The lack of a large sample
size makes the drawn conclusions much more questionable. Certainly, the data showed brain
activity in the short period following cardiac arrest, but it is uncertain if the researchers
The article also mentions reported incidents of cardiac arrest survivors describing vivid
and “realer than real” experiences while in the near-death state. The researchers attempt to
extend their results of intensified consciousness in the near-death state in rats to explain this
unusual human experience. However, they have no evidence that allows them to assume that
these lucid visions are caused by the same neural activity observed in the rats. Even though the
article may not fully explain near-death experiences in humans, it starts an important
conversation about the brain’s activity following clinical death. It challenges previous beliefs
associated with death, and hopefully encourages future studies and conversations regarding the
dying brain.