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First recording of a dying human brain shows waves similar to memory flashbacks (2022)

louisville.edu

11–20 of 299 posts

Re: First recording of a dying human brain shows waves similar to memory flashbacks (2022)

#11
post #7

I developed epilepsy a few years ago and each of the two times I had a waking tonic clonic aka “Grand Mal” it felt like they describe the brain when it’s dying. It’s the closest thing I’ve heard people describe as dying so it can be profound. Incidentally my neurologist said that she had patients that don’t stop their seizures because they feel like they areare mystical or part of their mental work. That’s a wild tho…

Without spoiling too much, this is a major theme in Dan Brown's latest novel 'the secret of secrets'.

Hmm is it worth the read? edit: coming from someone who overall was mildly fond of Angels and Demons and would consider that as the bar for worthwhile reading

Re: First recording of a dying human brain shows waves similar to memory flashbacks (2022)

#12
I got electructed when I was 19 while trying to kick a colleague who was fused to an industrial distribution cabinet away from it. I was dead for 7-8 minutes and had these flashbacks. They were fast and felt more like drifting from one dream to another. Can't recommend though got visual cortex hyperactivity with a bad case of visual snow syndrome and tinnitus ever since.

Re: First recording of a dying human brain shows waves similar to memory flashbacks (2022)

#13

I’m sure there would be a long line of willing terminal and euthanasia patients who would join a study to record their final moments, I’m surprised this hasn’t been done yet.

I went out to a loop choke once in BJJ. I wasn’t out long, but I wondered after if that’s what death is like - a flash of thought and that’s it.

Re: First recording of a dying human brain shows waves similar to memory flashbacks (2022)

#14
FTA: “When is exactly the time when we die? We may have tapped the door open now to start a discussion about that exact time onset”

They must not have been paying attention during their studies. That discussion has certainly been going on ever since we managed to restart a human’s heartbeat. Philosophers likely have discussed it for centuries, if not millennia, before that.

Modern medicine definitely doesn’t use “has no heartbeat == is dead”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_death#Medical_declaratio... adds “irreversible” to the definition:

“Two categories of legal death are death determined by irreversible cessation of heartbeat (cardiopulmonary death), and death determined by irreversible cessation of functions of the brain (brain death)”

(And, of course, “irreversible” changes as science progresses)

Re: First recording of a dying human brain shows waves similar to memory flashbacks (2022)

#15
I have lost consciousness several times in my life. Not a pleasurable experience specially as last time I did it because of such extreme pain that I thought I was passing away.

However I have had always recollection of those seconds or minutes when I was unconscious: there was always an intense and quick succession of memories and images accompanied by sound. At some point the external sound from people trying to reanimate me took over and I was able to gain consciousness again.

I always felt that was how the brain acted before passing away, and also how some literature and cinema were right when depicting flashbacks.

Re: First recording of a dying human brain shows waves similar to memory flashbacks (2022)

#16

I’m sure there would be a long line of willing terminal and euthanasia patients who would join a study to record their final moments, I’m surprised this hasn’t been done yet.

Ethicists forbid studying anything interesting, leaving us to scrape up data from natural experiments like this patient having a heart attack while already hooked up to an EEG.

What a weird way of phrasing that. The whole point of ethics in multiple disciplines is to try and study the principles of humanity in the society we've formed. The areas of philosophy, medicine, justice, and religion are filled with centuries of discussions trying to argue and explain a lot of these matters.

But the philosopher of the Internet of today, instead of curiosity of reasoning and arguing for what should change in deontology, and why; sums it up as "ethicists forbid...".

I'd really like to understand your views better on what should change and why...

Especially when there's plenty of ignoring of ethics in today's world!

Re: First recording of a dying human brain shows waves similar to memory flashbacks (2022)

#17
post #14

FTA: “When is exactly the time when we die? We may have tapped the door open now to start a discussion about that exact time onset” They must not have been paying attention during their studies. That discussion has certainly been going on ever since we managed to restart a human’s heartbeat. Philosophers likely have discussed it for centuries, if not millennia, before that. Modern medicine definitely doesn’t use “has…

Also the question is incorrect. There isn't an exact time when someone dies.

Re: First recording of a dying human brain shows waves similar to memory flashbacks (2022)

#18
When I was around 15, I used to hang out with a guy who was much senior to me, and he would bully us sometimes. One day, when we were bantering, I cracked a joke that a third guy with us (who was my age) found funny and crackled. The bully grabbed my neck and choked me till I lost consciousness. I remember having memory flashbacks related to missing a train, and someone waiting at the wagon door, waving at me to hurry and jump in before it is too late. I remember feeling stressed about missing the train. The next thing I remember is slowly regaining consciousness to see the bully and the 3rd guy splashing water at my face, looking very amused.

Re: First recording of a dying human brain shows waves similar to memory flashbacks (2022)

#19
post #15

I have lost consciousness several times in my life. Not a pleasurable experience specially as last time I did it because of such extreme pain that I thought I was passing away. However I have had always recollection of those seconds or minutes when I was unconscious: there was always an intense and quick succession of memories and images accompanied by sound. At some point the external sound from people trying to rea…

"Near death experience" or "out-of-body experience" are two search terms that surface more accounts like this.
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