With near-death experiences

A death that can last: How our brain dies

The great unknown: death. How can near-death experiences be explained? Scientists have been researching this question for a long time. One possible trigger is that the brain becomes hyperactive again at the moment of death. Numerous studies have now shown this - including the one conducted over many years by neurologist Jimo Borjigin from the University of Michigan (USA).

The moment you die does not bring an abrupt end to all processes in the brain. It is a process in which the brain is reactivated and cells die unevenly. It is plausible that this could lead to near-death experiences, according to Borjigin's study.

"Conscious awareness, as reported in near-death experiences, can occur if there is still electrical activity in the brain after cardiac arrest," the study script reads.

"Patient No. 1" in the course of Borjigin's year-long investigations was a 24-year-old pregnant woman with cardiac arrhythmia who collapsed unconscious one day in 2014. She was shocked three times in hospital and then lay in a coma for three days before life support was withdrawn. The moment the oxygen was turned off, a surge of activity began in the woman's dying brain.