lodge this one under “ uh , what ” . A study has find brain activity in a patient up to 10 minutes after their life support was turned off , in other words after they were clinically all in .
Published inThe Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences , the subject was led by the University of Western Ontario in Canada . The research worker examined the electroencephalogram ( EEG ) recordings from four patients , which is a mental testing to determine brain bodily process .
A patient is look at beat when their heart is registering no activeness on an cardiograph ( ECG ) monitor , a flatline . Traditionally , this is when the sentence of death of the patient role is given .
This surprising bailiwick , though , found electric activity in the brain of a patient after their heart had flatlined , among other indicators of clinical last . The bodily function dwell of a explosion of delta waves , often associate with deep nap . It hints that how someone decease is a unique experience .
EEG activity had ceased for three of the four affected role before their ECG flatlined . But for one of the patient , there was a burst of delta waves 10 minutes after expiry . And the authors were at a loss to explicate why it come about .
It ’s hard to read too much into the issue at the moment , considering this is a single case . The sketch also suggests the theory the resolution could be due to an unexplained error in the equipment , although there did not seem to be any malfunctions .
“ It is difficult to deposit a physiologic basis for this EEG natural action given that it go on after a prolonged loss of circulation , ” the researchers wrote in their newspaper publisher . “ These waveform bursts could , therefore , be artifactual in nature , although an artifactual generator could not be identified . ”
It was also observe that there was no grounds for a so - call “ death - moving ridge ” , a surge in brain action sometimes touch to moment before death . or else , they found no connectedness between the moment each patient ’s heart stopped beat out and their EEG transcription .
The researchers suggest their findings could pose complication for organ donation . With death currently being determine by circulation , they say there could be “ medical , ethical , and legal concerns ” .
AndNeuroskepticnotes that “ the small sample size of it and the fact that all of these affected role were severely ominous , and on heavy sedative medication , hit it hard to know how far the determination will generalize . ”
But it ’s sure as shooting interesting , and further complicates research into what happen to our physical structure after dying . ScienceAlertsaid that a pair of studies in 2016 found more than 1,000 genes functioning day after death . Perhaps do n’t run around saying there ’s life after death just yet , though .
