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N SS, P AL, B SL, R R, V SK. A Study of Near-Death Experience in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease. OMEGA-JOURNAL OF DEATH AND DYING 2023:302228231179352. [PMID: 37232080 DOI: 10.1177/00302228231179352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The near-death experiences (NDE) in dialysis patients of our country have not been previously studied. The objective of this study is to investigate the characteristics of NDEs in patients on dialysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed a cross sectional study of the adult patients of chronic kidney disease stage 5 without dialysis and on dialysis who survived cardiac arrest by cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as per ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) guidelines and who sustained pulseless ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation and received CPR and/or direct cardioversion. We used two scales, Greyson's NDE scale and Ring's Weighted Core Experience Index (WCEI). RESULTS We performed the study between 2016 and 2018. A total of 29 patients were included. The data based on Greyson's NDE scale and Ring's Weighted Core Experience Index (WCEI)were collected. CONCLUSIONS Our study brings a perspective of NDE in CKD and dialysis patients. A similar study of NDE in dialysis patients should be considered by other nephrologists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sai Sameera N
- Nephrology, Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences, Tirupati, India
| | | | | | - Ram R
- Nephrology, Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences, Tirupati, India
| | - Siva Kumar V
- Nephrology, Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences, Tirupati, India
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2
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Portnova GV. Resting-state network activity revealed by EEG in unresponsive hospice patients at the end of life. Clin Neurophysiol 2021; 135:162-163. [PMID: 34952804 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2021.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Galina V Portnova
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 5A Butlerova St., Moscow, 117485, Russia.
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3
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Electroencephalography (EEG) findings following cardiovascular collapse in death are uncertain. We aimed to characterize EEG changes immediately preceding and following cardiac death. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed EEGs of patients who died from cardiac arrest while undergoing standard EEG monitoring in an intensive care unit. Patients with brain death preceding cardiac death were excluded. Three events during fatal cardiovascular failure were investigated: (1) last recorded QRS complex on electrocardiogram (QRS0), (2) cessation of cerebral blood flow (CBF0) estimated as the time that blood pressure and heart rate dropped below set thresholds, and (3) electrocerebral silence on EEG (EEG0). We evaluated EEG spectral power, coherence, and permutation entropy at these time points. RESULTS Among 19 patients who died while undergoing EEG monitoring, seven (37%) had a comfort-measures-only status and 18 (95%) had a do-not-resuscitate status in place at the time of death. EEG0 occurred at the time of QRS0 in five patients and after QRS0 in two patients (cohort median - 2.0, interquartile range - 8.0 to 0.0), whereas EEG0 was seen at the time of CBF0 in six patients and following CBF0 in 11 patients (cohort median 2.0 min, interquartile range - 1.5 to 6.0). After CBF0, full-spectrum log power (p < 0.001) and coherence (p < 0.001) decreased on EEG, whereas delta (p = 0.007) and theta (p < 0.001) permutation entropy increased. CONCLUSIONS Rarely may patients have transient electrocerebral activity following the last recorded QRS (less than 5 min) and estimated cessation of cerebral blood flow. These results may have implications for discussions around cardiopulmonary resuscitation and organ donation.
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Nourkova VV. Compressed Life Review: Extreme Manifestation of Autobiographical Memory in Eye-Tracker. Behav Sci (Basel) 2020; 10:E60. [PMID: 32110854 PMCID: PMC7139868 DOI: 10.3390/bs10030060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The compressed life review (CLR) is a mnemonic illusion of having "your entire life flashing before your eyes". This research was guided by concerns over the retrospective methodology used in CLR studies. To depart from this methodology, I considered the long-term working memory (WM), "concentric", and "activation-based" models of memory. A novel theoretically rooted laboratory-based experimental technique aimed to elicit the CLR-like experience with no risk to healthy participants was developed. It consists of listening to superimposed audio recordings of previously trained verbal cues to an individually composed set of self-defining memories (SDMs). The technique evoked a self-reported CLR-like experience in 10 out of 20 participants. A significant similarity in eye movement patterns between a single SDM condition and a choir of SDM conditions in self-reported CLR experiencers was confirmed. In both conditions, stimuli caused relative visual immobilization, in contrast to listening to a single neutral phrase, and a choir of neutral phrases that led to active visual exploration. The data suggest that CLR-like phenomenology may be successfully induced by triggering short-term access to the verbally cued SDMs and may be associated with specific patterns of visual activity that are not reportedly involved with deliberate autobiographical retrieval.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika V Nourkova
- Department of psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 125009, Russia
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5
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Martial C, Cassol H, Laureys S, Gosseries O. Near-Death Experience as a Probe to Explore (Disconnected) Consciousness. Trends Cogn Sci 2020; 24:173-183. [PMID: 31982302 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2019.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Revised: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Forty-five years ago, the first evidence of near-death experience (NDE) during comatose state was provided, setting the stage for a new paradigm for studying the neural basis of consciousness in unresponsive states. At present, the state of consciousness associated with NDEs remains an open question. In the common view, consciousness is said to disappear in a coma with the brain shutting down, but this is an oversimplification. We argue that a novel framework distinguishing awareness, wakefulness, and connectedness is needed to comprehend the phenomenon. Classical NDEs correspond to internal awareness experienced in unresponsive conditions, thereby corresponding to an episode of disconnected consciousness. Our proposal suggests new directions for NDE research, and more broadly, consciousness science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Martial
- Coma Science Group, GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium; Centre du Cerveau (Centre intégré pluridisciplinaire de l'étude du cerveau, de la cognition et de la conscience), University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
| | - Héléna Cassol
- Coma Science Group, GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium; Centre du Cerveau (Centre intégré pluridisciplinaire de l'étude du cerveau, de la cognition et de la conscience), University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Steven Laureys
- Coma Science Group, GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium; Centre du Cerveau (Centre intégré pluridisciplinaire de l'étude du cerveau, de la cognition et de la conscience), University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Olivia Gosseries
- Coma Science Group, GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium; Centre du Cerveau (Centre intégré pluridisciplinaire de l'étude du cerveau, de la cognition et de la conscience), University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
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6
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Peinkhofer C, Dreier JP, Kondziella D. Semiology and Mechanisms of Near-Death Experiences. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep 2019; 19:62. [PMID: 31352520 DOI: 10.1007/s11910-019-0983-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Near-death experiences (NDEs) are conscious perceptual experiences, including self-related emotional, spiritual, and mystical experiences, occurring in close encounters with death or in non-life-threatening situations. The origin of NDEs remains unknown. Here, we review recent advances in the understanding of NDE semiology and pathophysiology. RECENT FINDINGS Recent prospective studies confirm that NDEs reflect a spectrum of highly distinctive memories which are associated with negative or positive emotions and can be influenced by the nature of the causal event, but the temporal sequence with which these images unfold is variable. Some drugs, notably ketamine, may lead to experiences that are similar or even identical to NDEs. New models extend previous neural network theories and include aspects of evolutionary and quantum theories. Although the factual existence of NDEs is no longer doubted and the semiology well-described, a pathophysiological model that includes all aspects of NDEs is still lacking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Costanza Peinkhofer
- Department of Neurology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Medical Faculty, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Jens P Dreier
- Center for Stroke Research Berlin, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Neurology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Experimental Neurology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.,Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Daniel Kondziella
- Department of Neurology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark. .,Department of Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Technology and Science, Trondheim, Norway. .,Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Lake J. The near-death experience (NDE) as an inherited predisposition: Possible genetic, epigenetic, neural and symbolic mechanisms. Med Hypotheses 2019; 126:135-148. [PMID: 31010490 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2019.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2019] [Revised: 02/24/2019] [Accepted: 03/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- James Lake
- Center for Integrative Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, United States.
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8
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Facco E. Ipnosi ed esperienze di premorte nel continuum delle espressioni non ordinarie della mente. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018. [DOI: 10.3280/ipn2018-001002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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9
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Moore LE, Greyson B. Characteristics of memories for near-death experiences. Conscious Cogn 2017; 51:116-124. [DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2017.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2016] [Revised: 03/07/2017] [Accepted: 03/08/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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10
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Martial C, Charland-Verville V, Dehon H, Laureys S. False memory susceptibility in coma survivors with and without a near-death experience. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2017; 82:806-818. [DOI: 10.1007/s00426-017-0855-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2016] [Accepted: 03/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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11
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Charland-Verville V, Lugo Z, Jourdan JP, Donneau AF, Laureys S. Near-Death Experiences in patients with locked-in syndrome: Not always a blissful journey. Conscious Cogn 2015; 34:28-32. [PMID: 25837796 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2015.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2014] [Revised: 02/08/2015] [Accepted: 03/16/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Memories of Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) most often are recounted as emotionally positive events. At present, no satisfactory explanatory model exists to fully account for the rich phenomenology of NDEs following a severe acute brain injury. The particular population of patients with locked-in syndrome (LIS) provides a unique opportunity to study NDEs following infratentorial brain lesions. We here retrospectively characterized the content of NDEs in 8 patients with LIS caused by an acute brainstem lesion (i.e., "LIS NDEs") and 23 NDE experiencers after coma with supratentorial lesions (i.e., "classical NDEs"). Compared to "classical NDEs", "LIS NDEs" less frequently experienced a feeling of peacefulness or well-being. It could be hypothesized that NDEs containing less positive emotions might have a specific neuroanatomical substrate related to impaired pontine/paralimbic connectivity or alternatively might be related to the emotional distress caused by the presence of conscious awareness in a paralyzed body.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Charland-Verville
- Coma Science Group, University and University Hospital of Liège, Cyclotron Research Center, GIGA-Research B34, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium.
| | - Zulay Lugo
- Coma Science Group, University and University Hospital of Liège, Cyclotron Research Center, GIGA-Research B34, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Jean-Pierre Jourdan
- International Association For Near Death Studies, Avenue Flourens Aillaud 28, 04700 Oraison, France
| | - Anne-Françoise Donneau
- Department of Statistics, School of Public Health, University of Liège, Avenue de l'Hôpital 3, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Steven Laureys
- Coma Science Group, University and University Hospital of Liège, Cyclotron Research Center, GIGA-Research B34, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium.
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Charland-Verville V, Jourdan JP, Thonnard M, Ledoux D, Donneau AF, Quertemont E, Laureys S. Near-death experiences in non-life-threatening events and coma of different etiologies. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:203. [PMID: 24904345 PMCID: PMC4034153 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2014] [Accepted: 03/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Near death experiences (NDEs) are increasingly being reported as a clearly identifiable physiological and psychological reality of clinical significance. However, the definition and causes of the phenomenon as well as the identification of NDE experiencers is still a matter of debate. To date, the most widely used standardized tool to identify and characterize NDEs in research is the Greyson NDE scale. Using this scale, retrospective and prospective studies have been trying to estimate their incidence in various populations but few studies have attempted to associate the experiences' intensity and content to etiology. Methods: This retrospective investigation assessed the intensity and the most frequently recounted features of self-reported NDEs after a non-life-threatening event (i.e., “NDE-like” experience) or after a pathological coma (i.e., “real NDE”) and according to the etiology of the acute brain insult. We also compared our retrospectively acquired data in anoxic coma with historical data from the published literature on prospective post-anoxic studies using the Greyson NDE scale. Results: From our 190 reports who met the criteria for NDE (i.e., Greyson NDE scale total score >7/32), intensity (i.e., Greyson NDE scale total score) and content (i.e., Greyson NDE scale features) did not differ between “NDE-like” (n = 50) and “real NDE” (n = 140) groups, nor within the “real NDE” group depending on the cause of coma (anoxic/traumatic/other). The most frequently reported feature was peacefulness (89–93%). Only 2 patients (1%) recounted a negative experience. The overall NDE core features' frequencies were higher in our retrospective anoxic cohort when compared to historical published prospective data. Conclusions: It appears that “real NDEs” after coma of different etiologies are similar to “NDE-like” experiences occurring after non-life threatening events. Subjects reporting NDEs retrospectively tend to have experienced a different content compared to the prospective experiencers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Charland-Verville
- Coma Science Group, Cyclotron Research Center and Neurology Department, University and University Hospital of Liège Liège, Belgium
| | | | - Marie Thonnard
- Coma Science Group, Cyclotron Research Center and Neurology Department, University and University Hospital of Liège Liège, Belgium
| | - Didier Ledoux
- Coma Science Group, Cyclotron Research Center and Neurology Department, University and University Hospital of Liège Liège, Belgium
| | | | - Etienne Quertemont
- Department of Psychology, Cognitive and Behavioral Neurosciences Center, University of Liège Liège, Belgium
| | - Steven Laureys
- Coma Science Group, Cyclotron Research Center and Neurology Department, University and University Hospital of Liège Liège, Belgium
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13
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Charland-Verville V, Thonnard M, Dehon H, Laureys S, Vanhaudenhuyse A. La phénoménologie de souvenirs d’expériences de mort imminente peut-elle être comparée à celle de souvenirs d’événements réels et imaginés ? Med Sci (Paris) 2014; 30:246-8. [DOI: 10.1051/medsci/20143003009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Bókkon I, Mallick BN, Tuszynski JA. Near death experiences: a multidisciplinary hypothesis. Front Hum Neurosci 2013; 7:533. [PMID: 24062655 PMCID: PMC3769617 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2013] [Accepted: 08/16/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, we proposed a novel biophysical concept regarding on the appearance of brilliant lights during near death experiences (NDEs) (Bókkon and Salari, 2012). Specifically, perceiving brilliant light in NDEs has been proposed to arise due to the reperfusion that produces unregulated overproduction of free radicals and energetically excited molecules that can generate a transient enhancement of bioluminescent biophotons in different areas of the brain, including retinotopic visual areas. If this excess of bioluminescent photon emission exceeds a threshold in retinotopic visual areas, this can appear as (phosphene) lights because the brain interprets these intrinsic retinotopic bioluminescent photons as if they originated from the external physical world. Here, we review relevant literature that reported experimental studies (Imaizumi et al., 1984; Suzuki et al., 1985) that essentially support our previously published conception, i.e., that seeing lights in NDEs may be due to the transient enhancement of bioluminescent biophotons. Next, we briefly describe our biophysical visual representation model that may explain brilliant lights experienced during NDEs (by phosphenes as biophotons) and REM sleep associated dream-like intrinsic visual imageries through biophotons in NDEs. Finally, we link our biophysical visual representation notion to self-consciousness that may involve extremely low-energy quantum entanglements. This article is intended to introduce novel concepts for discussion and does not pretend to give the ultimate explanation for the currently unanswerable questions about matter, life and soul; their creation and their interrelationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- István Bókkon
- Neuroscience Department, Vision Research Institute Lowell, MA, USA
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Hou Y, Huang Q, Prakash R, Chaudhury S. Infrequent near death experiences in severe brain injury survivors - A quantitative and qualitative study. Ann Indian Acad Neurol 2013; 16:75-81. [PMID: 23661968 PMCID: PMC3644787 DOI: 10.4103/0972-2327.107715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2011] [Revised: 09/17/2011] [Accepted: 06/21/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Near death experiences (NDE) are receiving increasing attention by the scientific community because not only do they provide a glimpse of the complexity of the mind-brain interactions in ‘near-death’ circumstances but also because they have significant and long lasting effects on various psychological aspects of the survivors. The over-all incidence-reports of NDEs in literature have varied widely from a modest Figure of 10% to around 35%, even up to an incredible Figure of 72% in persons who have faced close brush with death. Somewhat similar to this range of difference in incidences are the differences prevalent in the opinions that theorists and researchers harbor around the world for explaining this phenomena. None the less, objective evidences have supported physiological theories the most. A wide range of physiological processes have been targeted for explaining NDEs. These include cerebral anoxia, chemical alterations like hypercapnia, presence of endorphins, ketamine, and serotonin, or abnormal activity of the temporal lobe or the limbic system. In spite of the fact that the physiological theories of NDEs have revolved around the derangements in brain, no study till date has taken up the task of evaluating the experiences of near-death in patients where specific injury has been to brain. Most of them have evaluated NDEs in cardiac-arrest patients. Post-traumatic coma is one such state regarding which the literature seriously lacks any information related to NDEs. Patients recollecting any memory of their post-traumatic coma are valuable assets for NDE researchers and needs special attention. Materials and Methods: Our present study was aimed at collecting this valuable information from survivors of severe head injury after a prolonged coma. The study was conducted in the head injury department of Guangdong 999 Brain hospital, Guangzhou, China. Patients included in the study were the ones Recovered from the posttraumatic coma following a severe head injury. A total of 86 patients were chosen. Near death experience scale (NDES) score of 7 or more was used as the criteria of screening NDE experiences. After identifying such individuals, the Prakash-modification of the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to interview and record the data for qualitative analysis. Results: We found that contrary to earlier incidence reports, NDEs in post head injury patients were markedly low. Only 3 out of 86 of the patients recruited had a clear and confident experience of NDE. We conducted a qualitative study to explore further into these experiences. IPA of these 3 patients revealed four master themes: 1. Unique light visions 2. Intense feelings of astonishment, pleasure, and fear 3. The sense of helplessness 4. Supernatural but rationality of experience. Conclusion: NDE is uncommon in head-injury cases as compared to other near-death conditions. But the persons experiencing it have immense impacts on their belief systems and emotions. This experience should be further explored by studies of larger samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongmei Hou
- Department of Psychology, Guangdong Medical College, 2 Wenming East Road, Xiashan District, ZhanJiang, Guangdong, China
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Thonnard M, Charland-Verville V, Brédart S, Dehon H, Ledoux D, Laureys S, Vanhaudenhuyse A. Characteristics of near-death experiences memories as compared to real and imagined events memories. PLoS One 2013; 8:e57620. [PMID: 23544039 PMCID: PMC3609762 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2012] [Accepted: 01/26/2013] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the dawn of time, Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) have intrigued and, nowadays, are still not fully explained. Since reports of NDEs are proposed to be imagined events, and since memories of imagined events have, on average, fewer phenomenological characteristics than real events memories, we here compared phenomenological characteristics of NDEs reports with memories of imagined and real events. We included three groups of coma survivors (8 patients with NDE as defined by the Greyson NDE scale, 6 patients without NDE but with memories of their coma, 7 patients without memories of their coma) and a group of 18 age-matched healthy volunteers. Five types of memories were assessed using Memory Characteristics Questionnaire (MCQ – Johnson et al., 1988): target memories (NDE for NDE memory group, coma memory for coma memory group, and first childhood memory for no memory and control groups), old and recent real event memories and old and recent imagined event memories. Since NDEs are known to have high emotional content, participants were requested to choose the most emotionally salient memories for both real and imagined recent and old event memories. Results showed that, in NDE memories group, NDE memories have more characteristics than memories of imagined and real events (p<0.02). NDE memories contain more self-referential and emotional information and have better clarity than memories of coma (all ps<0.02). The present study showed that NDE memories contained more characteristics than real event memories and coma memories. Thus, this suggests that they cannot be considered as imagined event memories. On the contrary, their physiological origins could lead them to be really perceived although not lived in the reality. Further work is needed to better understand this phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Thonnard
- Coma Science Group, Cyclotron Research Centre and Neurology Department, University and University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Vanessa Charland-Verville
- Coma Science Group, Cyclotron Research Centre and Neurology Department, University and University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Serge Brédart
- Coma Science Group, Cyclotron Research Centre and Neurology Department, University and University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- Cognitive and Behavioral Neurosciences Centre, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Hedwige Dehon
- Cognitive and Behavioral Neurosciences Centre, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Didier Ledoux
- Coma Science Group, Cyclotron Research Centre and Neurology Department, University and University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Steven Laureys
- Coma Science Group, Cyclotron Research Centre and Neurology Department, University and University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- * E-mail:
| | - Audrey Vanhaudenhuyse
- Coma Science Group, Cyclotron Research Centre and Neurology Department, University and University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
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Facco E, Agrillo C. Near-Death-Like Experiences without Life-Threatening Conditions or Brain Disorders: A Hypothesis from a Case Report. Front Psychol 2012; 3:490. [PMID: 23162522 PMCID: PMC3498963 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2012] [Accepted: 10/23/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Near-death experiences (NDEs) are profound psychic experiences commonly occurring in life-threatening conditions. They include feeling a sense of peace, of seeing a bright light, encountering deceased relatives or religious figures, and of transcending space and time. To explain them, it has been suggested that they stem from brain disorders and/or psychological reactions to approaching death, a sort of wishful thinking in response to the perceived threat. This is a report on a case with most of the features typical of NDEs except that it occurred entirely without any life-threatening conditions. This evidence is theoretically incompatible with either of the above hypotheses, suggesting that a broader interpretation of the phenomenon is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico Facco
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Padova Padova, Italy ; Italian Center for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis Torino, Italy
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Facco E, Agrillo C. Near-death experiences between science and prejudice. Front Hum Neurosci 2012; 6:209. [PMID: 22826697 PMCID: PMC3399124 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2012.00209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2012] [Accepted: 06/25/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Science exists to refute dogmas; nevertheless, dogmas may be introduced when undemonstrated scientific axioms lead us to reject facts incompatible with them. Several studies have proposed psychobiological interpretations of near-death experiences (NDEs), claiming that NDEs are a mere byproduct of brain functions gone awry; however, relevant facts incompatible with the ruling physicalist and reductionist stance have been often neglected. The awkward transcendent look of NDEs has deep epistemological implications, which call for: (a) keeping a rigorously neutral position, neither accepting nor refusing anything a priori; and (b) distinguishing facts from speculations and fallacies. Most available psychobiological interpretations remain so far speculations to be demonstrated, while brain disorders and/or drug administration in critical patients yield a well-known delirium in intensive care and anesthesia, the phenomenology of which is different from NDEs. Facts can be only true or false, never paranormal. In this sense, they cannot be refused a priori even when they appear implausible with respect to our current knowledge: any other stance implies the risk of turning knowledge into dogma and the adopted paradigm into a sort of theology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico Facco
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Padova Padova, Italy
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Abstract
During the last decades, several clinical cases have been reported where patients described profound subjective experiences when near-death, a phenomenon called “near-death experience” (NDE). Recurring features in the accounts involving bright lights and tunnels have sometimes been interpreted as evidence of a new life after death; however the origin of such experiences is largely unknown, and both biological and psychological interpretations have been suggested. The study of NDEs represents one of the most important topics of cognitive neuroscience. In the present paper the current state of knowledge has been reviewed, with particular regard to the main features of NDE, scientific explanations and the theoretical debate surrounding this phenomenon.
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Greyson B. Consistency of near-death experience accounts over two decades: Are reports embellished over time? Resuscitation 2007; 73:407-11. [PMID: 17289247 DOI: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2006.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2006] [Revised: 09/28/2006] [Accepted: 10/02/2006] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
AIM "Near-death experiences," commonly reported after clinical death and resuscitation, may require intervention and, if reliable, may elucidate altered brain functioning under extreme stress. It has been speculated that accounts of near-death experiences are exaggerated over the years. The objective of this study was to test the reliability over two decades of accounts of near-death experiences. METHODS Seventy-two patients with near-death experience who had completed the NDE scale in the 1980s (63% of the original cohort still alive) completed the scale a second time, without reference to the original scale administration. The primary outcome was differences in NDE scale scores on the two administrations. The secondary outcome was the statistical association between differences in scores and years elapsed between the two administrations. RESULTS Mean scores did not change significantly on the total NDE scale, its 4 factors, or its 16 items. Correlation coefficients between scores on the two administrations were significant at P<0.001 for the total NDE scale, for its 4 factors, and for its 16 items. Correlation coefficients between score changes and time elapsed between the two administrations were not significant for the total NDE scale, for its 4 factors, or for its 16 items. CONCLUSION Contrary to expectation, accounts of near-death experiences, and particularly reports of their positive affect, were not embellished over a period of almost two decades. These data support the reliability of near-death experience accounts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce Greyson
- Division of Perceptual Studies, Department of Psychiatry & Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of Virginia Health System, P.O. Box 800152, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0152, USA.
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Le Maléfan P. La « sortie hors du corps » est-elle pensable par nos modèles cliniques et psychopathologiques ? Essai de clinique d'une marge. À propos d'un cas. EVOLUTION PSYCHIATRIQUE 2005. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evopsy.2005.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Abstract
Near-death experiences (NDEs) have become the focus of much interest in the last 30 years or so. Such experiences can occur both when individuals are objectively near to death and also when they simply believe themselves to be. The experience typically involves a number of different components including a feeling of peace and well-being, out-of-body experiences (OBEs), entering a region of darkness, seeing a brilliant light, and entering another realm. NDEs are known to have long-lasting transformational effects upon those who experience them. An overview is presented of the various theoretical approaches that have been adopted in attempts to account for the NDE. Spiritual theories assume that consciousness can become detached from the neural substrate of the brain and that the NDE may provide a glimpse of an afterlife. Psychological theories include the proposal that the NDE is a dissociative defense mechanism that occurs in times of extreme danger or, less plausibly, that the NDE reflects memories of being born. Finally, a wide range of organic theories of the NDE has been put forward including those based upon cerebral hypoxia, anoxia, and hypercarbia; endorphins and other neurotransmitters; and abnormal activity in the temporal lobes. Finally, the results of studies of NDEs in cardiac arrest survivors are reviewed and the implications of these results for our understanding of mind-brain relationships are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher C French
- Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths College, University of London, New Cross, London SE14 6NW, UK.
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