Man dies during brain scan, doctors give unique insight into ‘movie of your life’

For the first time, doctors have been able to record what happens to our brains when we die. This is by chance. An 87-year-old man underwent an EEG while being treated for epilepsy. This is an EEG where the electrical activity of the brain is measured.

But during a brain scan, the man had a heart attack and died. So his brain activity was recorded during his “accidentally” death. In the 30 seconds before and after the man’s last heartbeat, doctors saw very specific brain waves. These waves, known as gamma oscillations, are associated with memory, meditation, and dreams.

Dr. Ajmal Zammar, the University of Louisville neurosurgeon who organized the study, said the sun“By generating oscillations related to memory retrieval, the brain can replay the final memory of important life events just before death, similar to those reported in near-death experiences.”

The same phenomenon, the “life movie” just before death, has been seen in rats before, but has never been observed in humans. The researchers assert that it was only one person and that the man’s brain was also affected by epilepsy. So more research is definitely needed.