Why do dying people see the light at the end of the tunnel
US, WASHINGTON (ORDO NEWS) — People who have experienced cardiac arrest describe their sensations as traveling through the tunnel to the light; often their entire previous life sweeps before their eyes in a matter of seconds. Scientists have explained why this is happening.
A study of the relationship between brain and heart activity at the time of clinical death was carried out by physicians from the University of Michigan. The experiments were carried out on nine rats: scientists strangled them, while measuring the condition of the animals using a specially designed apparatus “electrocardio matrix”, combining the functions of an electroencephalograph and an electrocardiograph.
In the course of the experiment on rats, it turned out that immediately after cardiac arrest, the brain for 30 seconds remains not only alive and capable – its activity increases sharply. Several dozens of neurotransmitters are released in the cerebral cortex – chemicals involved in the transfer of information between neurons and muscle cells. At the same time, brain waves of high frequency (gamma oscillations) noticeably become more frequent.
As a result of these processes, new connections are established between the brain and the heart: the brain continues to send signals to the heart, and the brain rhythms, restoring the heartbeat, enter in sync with the pulsation of the heart. An increased level of brain activity, apparently, leads to widespread hallucinations, which are described by people who have experienced clinical death.
However, the experiments were carried out in order to solve another, more important problem. In the explanation published on the pages of the magazine more important task. In the explanation published on the pages of the magazine more important task. In the explanation published on the pages of the magazine Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the authors emphasize that the mechanism leading to the death of healthy organs, heart and brain, in the absence of oxygen, is still not well understood. If scientists could find answers to all related questions – the chances of people surviving after heart failure will increase significantly. During the experiments, among other actions, scientists blocked signals from the brain to the heart.
An unexpected result was that ventricular fibrillation decreased while brain activity continued even in the absence of oxygen. It was previously believed that it was the heart, depriving the brain of oxygen, that is responsible for the overall death of the body. New findings will need to be studied and verified more deeply, but experimenters are sure that they are already on the right track.
When, if doctors learn how to properly block the connection between the heart and brain during clinical death with medications, this can help bring many patients back to life. Find out why there’s a high risk of death on your birthday, and also read an article on brain secrets.
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