T he human brain can continue functioning for more than 10 minutes after the body has died, scientists have discovered.
Intensive care doctors reported observing the same kind of brain waves in a patient whose pulse had stopped and whose pupils were unreactive as occurs during deep sleep in healthy people.
Researchers had previously thought that brain activity ends before or shortly after the heart stops beating, although two studies last year demonstrated that genes continue to function, in some cases more energetically, in the days after people die.
The authors of the new study, published in the Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences, say the fresh discovery raises ethical problems as to when it is appropriate to remove donor organs in patients who appear to have died.
The Canadian doctors reported observing seeing “single delta wave bursts” in the brain of a patient after the cessation of cardiac rhythm and arterial blood pressure.
Only one of the four people studied exhibited the long-lasting and mysterious brain activity, they pointed out, with activity in most patients dying off before their heart stopped beating.
However, all of their brains behaved slightly differently in the minutes after they died.
The study authors say they have no idea why one of the brains might have continued partially functioning so long after clinical death.
So now for something completely different....
Interesting. Cellular activity can still continue even after the heart stops. At least, until cell death occurs from a lack of oxygen and glucose. Any such activity, especially in brain dead individuals, is probably not sufficient for any level of consciousness or awareness.
Probably good for vague hallucinations.
If there's even that much.
Hooray, not politic's or religion.
I wonder if there is any connection to so called ''near death experiences''..
There may be some sort of connection, but it seems that not everyone goes through these bursts of wave activity, and almost everyone who has been restated has had a near death experience.
Good article.
Death is a process.
It is the culmination of life, function by function as the physical body shuts down.
We are not light switches.
We are more like light dimmers.
It is an excellent question regarding organ removal for transplants in light of this information.
End of life advanced medical care directives may stipulate that body parts may be removed after clinical death is declared, even if some body functions at any level still occur.
This wish must be honored if in writing and witnessed.
Some opine that body parts which can be of value to the living be removed and transplanted while still and most usable.
Enoch.
I volunteer my x wife to take part in this study.