Abstract
Near-death experiences (NDEs) are episodes of disconnected consciousness that typically occur in situations that involve an actual or potential physical threat or are perceived as such, and the experiences are characterized by a rich content with prototypical mystical features. Several explanatory theories for NDEs have been proposed, ranging from psychological or neurophysiological to evolutionary models. However, these concepts were often formulated independently, and, owing to the fragmented nature of research in this domain, integration of these ideas has been limited. Lines of empirical evidence from different areas of neuroscience, including non-human studies, studies investigating psychedelic-induced mystical experiences in humans, and research on the dying brain, are now converging to provide a comprehensive explanation for NDEs. In this Review, we discuss processes that might underlie the rich conscious experience in NDEs, mostly focusing on prototypical examples and addressing both the potential psychological mechanisms and neurophysiological changes, including cellular and electrophysiological brain network modifications and alterations in neurotransmitter release. On the basis of this discussion, we propose a model for NDEs that encompasses a cascade of concomitant psychological and neurophysiological processes within an evolutionary framework. We also consider how NDE research can inform the debate on the emergence of consciousness in near-death conditions that arise before brain death.
Key points
The emergence of a rich phenomenology in near-death experiences (NDEs) during acute physiological crises might be attributed to a cascade of concomitant neurophysiological and psychological processes, including phylogenetically preserved threat responses.
From a neurophysiological perspective, NDEs can result from impaired cerebral blood flow causing systemic hypotension, hypoxia and hypercapnia resulting in acidosis, and from increased neuronal excitability causing dysregulation of key neurotransmitter systems.
From a psychological perspective, NDEs might be partially shaped by top–down processes and facilitated by non-pathological cognitive traits such as dissociation propensity.
The evolutionary roots of NDEs are thought to be linked to survival and coping mechanisms, with serotonin probably mediating calming effects through 5-HT1A receptors and contributing to hallucinogenic aspects through 5-HT2A receptor hyperactivation.
Understanding the slow recovery of brain activity after resuscitation might provide a valuable opportunity to explore the neural correlates of NDEs.
Access through your institution
Buy or subscribe
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access through your institution
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$29.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Learn more
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$209.00 per year
only $17.42 per issue
Learn more
Buy this article
Purchase on SpringerLink
Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Additional access options:
Log in
Learn about institutional subscriptions
Read our FAQs
Contact customer support
Fig. 1: Timeline of key events and theories in the near-death experience research field.
Fig. 2: Neurotransmitter systems involved in the generation of near-death experience features.
Fig. 3: The Neurophysiological Evolutionary Psychological Theory Understanding Near-death Experience (NEPTUNE) model.
References
Heim, A. Jahrbuch des Schweizer Alpenclub / 27 Notizen über den Tod durch Absturz (Verlag der Expedition des Jahrbuchs des S.A.C., 1892).
Moody, R. Life After Life (Bantam, 1975).
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. 16, 75 (2013).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Rousseau, A.-F. et al. Incidence of near-death experiences in patients surviving a prolonged critical illness and their long-term impact: a prospective observational study. Crit. Care 27, 76 (2023).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Greyson, B. Incidence and correlates of near-death experiences in a cardiac care unit. Gen. Hosp. Psychiatry 25, 269–276 (2003).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Klemenc-Ketis, Z., Kersnik, J. & Grmec, S. The effect of carbon dioxide on near-death experiences in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors: a prospective observational study. Crit. Care 14, R56 (2010).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Parnia, S. et al. AWARE — AWAreness during resuscitation — a prospective study. Resuscitation 85, 1799–1805 (2014).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Schwaninger, J., Eisenberg, P. R., Schechtman, K. B. & Weiss, A. N. A prospective analysis of near-death experiences in cardiac arrest patients. J. Near Death Stud. 20, 215–232 (2002).
ArticleGoogle Scholar
van Lommel, P., van Wees, R., Meyers, V. & Elfferich, I. Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands. Lancet 358, 2039–2045 (2001).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Parnia, S. et al. AWAreness during REsuscitation — II: a multi-center study of consciousness and awareness in cardiac arrest. Resuscitation 191, 109903 (2023).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Mauduit, M. et al. Does hypothermic circulatory arrest for aortic surgery trigger near-death experience? Incidence of near-death experiences after aortic surgeries performed under hypothermic circulatory arrest. Aorta 9, 76–82 (2021).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Charland-Verville, V. et al. Near-death experiences in non-life-threatening events and coma of different etiologies. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 8, 203 (2014).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Facco, E. & Agrillo, C. Near-death-like experiences without life-threatening conditions or brain disorders: a hypothesis from a case report. Front. Psychol. 3, 490 (2012).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Kondziella, D., Dreier, J. P. & Olsen, M. H. Prevalence of near-death experiences in people with and without REM sleep intrusion. PeerJ 7, e7585 (2019).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Martial, C., Cassol, H., Laureys, S. & Gosseries, O. Near-death experience as a probe to explore (disconnected) consciousness. Trends Cogn. Sci. 24, 173–183 (2020).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Fritz, P., Lejeune, N., Cardone, P., Gosseries, O. & Martial, C. Bridging the gap: (a)typical psychedelic and near-death experience insights. Curr. Opin. Behav. Sci. 55, 101349 (2024).
ArticleGoogle Scholar
Martial, C. et al. Neurochemical models of near-death experiences: a large-scale study based on the semantic similarity of written reports. Conscious. Cogn. 69, 52–69 (2019).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Timmermann, C. et al. DMT models the near-death experience. Front. Psychol. 9, 1424 (2018).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Greyson, B. Dissociation in people who have near-death experiences: out of their bodies or out of their minds? Lancet 355, 460–463 (2000).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Martial, C., Cassol, H., Charland-Verville, V., Merckelbach, H. & Laureys, S. Fantasy proneness correlates with the intensity of near-death experience. Front. Psychiatry 9, 190 (2018).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Noyes, R. & Slymen, D. J. The subjective response to life-threatening danger. OMEGA J. Death Dying 9, 313–321 (1979).
ArticleGoogle Scholar
Owens, J., Cook, E. W. & Stevenson, I. Features of ‘near-death experience’ in relation to whether or not patients were near death. Lancet 336, 1175–1177 (1990).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Blackmore, S. J. & Troscianko, T. S. The physiology of the tunnel. J. Near Death Stud. 8, 15–28 (1989).
ArticleGoogle Scholar
Blanke, O. & Arzy, S. The out-of-body experience: disturbed self-processing at the temporo-parietal junction. Neuroscientist 11, 16–24 (2005).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Nelson, K. R., Mattingly, M., Lee, S. A. & Schmitt, F. A. Does the arousal system contribute to near death experience? Neurology 66, 1003–1009 (2006).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Raffaelli, B. et al. Near‐death experiences are associated with rapid eye movement (REM) sleep intrusions in migraine patients, independent of migraine aura. Eur. J. Neurol. 30, 3322–3331 (2023).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Peinkhofer, C., Martial, C., Cassol, H., Laureys, S. & Kondziella, D. The evolutionary origin of near-death experiences: a systematic investigation. Brain Commun. 3, fcab132 (2021).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Long, J. & Perry, P. Evidence of the Afterlife: the Science of Near-Death Experiences (HarperOne, 2010).
Van Lommel, P. Non-local consciousness a concept based on scientific research on near-death experiences during cardiac arrest. J. Conscious. Stud. 20, 7–48 (2013).
Google Scholar
Zeman, A. What in the world is consciousness? Prog. Brain Res. 150, 1–10 (2005).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Li, D. et al. Asphyxia-activated corticocardiac signaling accelerates onset of cardiac arrest. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 112, E2073–E2082 (2015).
CASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Kandel, E. R. A new intellectual framework for psychiatry. Am. J. Psychiatry 155, 457–469 (1998).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Sergent, C. & Naccache, L. Imaging neural signatures of consciousness: ‘what’, ‘when’, ‘where’ and ‘how’ does it work? Arch. Ital. Biol. 91, 106 (2012).
Google Scholar
Tononi, G. Consciousness, information integration, and the brain. Prog. Brain Res. 150, 109–126 (2005).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Koch, C., Massimini, M., Boly, M. & Tononi, G. Neural correlates of consciousness: progress and problems. Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 17, 307–321 (2016).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Martial, C. et al. The Near-Death Experience Content (NDE-C) scale: development and psychometric validation. Conscious. Cogn. 86, 103049 (2020).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Whinnery, J. E. & Whinnery, A. M. Acceleration-induced loss of consciousness. A review of 500 episodes. Arch. Neurol. 47, 764–776 (1990).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Annen, J. et al. Mapping the functional brain state of a world champion freediver in static dry apnea. Brain Struct. Funct. 226, 2675–2688 (2021).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Lempert, T., Bauer, M. & Schmidt, D. Syncope: a videometric analysis of 56 episodes of transient cerebral hypoxia. Ann. Neurol. 36, 233–237 (1994).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Lempert, T., Bauer, M. & Schmidt, D. Syncope and near-death experience. Lancet 344, 829–830 (1994).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Martial, C. et al. EEG signature of near-death-like experiences during syncope-induced periods of unresponsiveness. Neuroimage 298, 120759 (2024).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Pausescu, E., Lugojan, R. & Pausescu, M. Cerebral catecholamine and serotonin metabolism in post-hypothermic brain oedema. Brain 93, 31–36 (1970).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Javaheri, S., De Hemptinne, A., Vanheel, B. & Leusen, I. Changes in brain ECF pH during metabolic acidosis and alkalosis: a microelectrode study. J. Appl. Physiol. 55, 1849–1853 (1983).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Hansen, A. J. Effect of anoxia on ion distribution in the brain. Physiol. Rev. 65, 101–148 (1985).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Charnay, Y. & Léger, L. Brain serotonergic circuitries. Dialogues Clin. Neurosci. 12, 471–487 (2010).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Mathias, A. P., Ross, D. M. & Schachter, M. Identification and distribution of 5-hydroxytryptamine in a sea anemone. Nature 180, 658–659 (1957).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Ishihara, A. et al. The tryptophan pathway is involved in the defense responses of rice against pathogenic infection via serotonin production. Plant J. 54, 481–495 (2008).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Araneda, R. & Andrade, R. 5-Hydroxytryptamine2 and 5-hydroxytryptamine1A receptors mediate opposing responses on membrane excitability in rat association cortex. Neuroscience 40, 399–412 (1991).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Whitaker-Azmitia, P. M. Serotonin and brain development: role in human developmental diseases. Brain Res. Bull. 56, 479–485 (2001).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Fletcher, P. J., Tampakeras, M., Sinyard, J. & Higgins, G. A. Opposing effects of 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptor antagonists in the rat and mouse on premature responding in the five-choice serial reaction time test. Psychopharmacology 195, 223–234 (2007).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Varnäs, K., Halldin, C. & Hall, H. Autoradiographic distribution of serotonin transporters and receptor subtypes in human brain. Hum. Brain Mapp. 22, 246–260 (2004).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Miyazaki, K., Miyazaki, K. W. & Doya, K. The role of serotonin in the regulation of patience and impulsivity. Mol. Neurobiol. 45, 213–224 (2012).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Miyazaki, K. W. et al. Optogenetic activation of dorsal raphe serotonin neurons enhances patience for future rewards. Curr. Biol. 24, 2033–2040 (2014).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Carhart-Harris, R. L. & Nutt, D. J. Serotonin and brain function: a tale of two receptors. J. Psychopharmacol. 31, 1091–1120 (2017).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Gerstl, F. et al. Multimodal imaging of human early visual cortex by combining functional and molecular measurements with fMRI and PET. Neuroimage 41, 204–211 (2008).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Kometer, M., Schmidt, A., Jancke, L. & Vollenweider, F. X. Activation of serotonin 2A receptors underlies the psilocybin-induced effects on oscillations, N170 visual-evoked potentials, and visual hallucinations. J. Neurosci. 33, 10544–10551 (2013).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
William Moreau, A., Amar, M., Le Roux, N., Morel, N. & Fossier, P. Serotoninergic fine-tuning of the excitation–inhibition balance in rat visual cortical networks. Cereb. Cortex 20, 456–467 (2010).
ArticleGoogle Scholar
González-Maeso, J. et al. Identification of a serotonin/glutamate receptor complex implicated in psychosis. Nature 452, 93–97 (2008).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Huot, P. et al. Increased 5‐HT2A receptors in the temporal cortex of parkinsonian patients with visual hallucinations. Mov. Disord. 25, 1399–1408 (2010).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Griffiths, R., Richards, W., Johnson, M., McCann, U. & Jesse, R. Mystical-type experiences occasioned by psilocybin mediate the attribution of personal meaning and spiritual significance 14 months later. J. Psychopharmacol. 22, 621–632 (2008).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Vollenweider, F. X. & Kometer, M. The neurobiology of psychedelic drugs: implications for the treatment of mood disorders. Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 11, 642–651 (2010).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Carhart-Harris, R. L. et al. Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 109, 2138–2143 (2012).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Tagliazucchi, E. et al. Increased global functional connectivity correlates with LSD-induced ego dissolution. Curr. Biol. 26, 1043–1050 (2016).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
De Ridder, D., Van Laere, K., Dupont, P., Menovsky, T. & Van de Heyning, P. Visualizing out-of-body experience in the brain. N. Engl. J. Med. 357, 1829–1833 (2007).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Arzy, S., Thut, G., Mohr, C., Michel, C. M. & Blanke, O. Neural basis of embodiment: distinct contributions of temporoparietal junction and extrastriate body area. J. Neurosci. 26, 8074–8081 (2006).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Arzy, S., Seeck, M., Ortigue, S., Spinelli, L. & Blanke, O. Induction of an illusory shadow person. Nature 443, 287 (2006).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Strassman, R. DMT: the Spirit Molecule: a Doctor’s Revolutionary Research into the Biology of Near-Death and Mystical Experiences (Park Street, 2001).
Michael, P., Luke, D. & Robinson, O. This is your brain on death: a comparative analysis of a near-death experience and subsequent 5-methoxy-DMT experience. Front. Psychol. 14, 1083361 (2023).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Peroutka, S. J. & Howell, T. A. The molecular evolution of G protein-coupled receptors: focus on 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors. Neuropharmacology 33, 319–324 (1994).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Barnes, N. M. & Sharp, T. A review of central 5-HT receptors and their function. Neuropharmacology 38, 1083–1152 (1999).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Brouwer, A. & Carhart-Harris, R. L. Pivotal mental states. J. Psychopharmacol. 35, 319–352 (2021).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Wutzler, A., Mavrogiorgou, P., Winter, C. & Juckel, G. Elevation of brain serotonin during dying. Neurosci. Lett. 498, 20–21 (2011).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Meldrum, B. S. Glutamate as a neurotransmitter in the brain: review of physiology and pathology. J. Nutr. 130, 1007S–1015S (2000).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Edmonds, B., Gibb, A. J. & Colquhoun, D. Mechanisms of activation of glutamate receptors and the time course of excitatory synaptic currents. Annu. Rev. Physiol. 57, 495–519 (1995).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Traynelis, S. F. et al. Glutamate receptor ion channels: structure, regulation, and function. Pharmacol. Rev. 62, 405–496 (2010).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Godaux, E. Les Neurones, Les Synapses et Les Fibres Musculaires (Editions Masson, 1997).
Tabone, C. J. & Ramaswami, M. Is NMDA receptor-coincidence detection required for learning and memory? Neuron 74, 767–769 (2012).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Paulsen, O. & Sejnowski, T. J. Natural patterns of activity and long-term synaptic plasticity. Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. 10, 172–179 (2000).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Dingledine, R. N-Methyl aspartate activates voltage-dependent calcium conductance in rat hippocampal pyramidal cells. J. Physiol. 343, 385–405 (1983).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Bliss, T. V. & Collingridge, G. L. A synaptic model of memory: long-term potentiation in the hippocampus. Nature 361, 31–39 (1993).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Corazza, O. & Schifano, F. Near-death states reported in a sample of 50 misusers. Subst. Use Misuse 45, 916–924 (2010).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Jansen, K. Near death experience and the NMDA receptor. BMJ 298, 1708 (1989).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Jansen, K. L. R. The ketamine model of the near-death experience: a central role for the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor. J. Near Death Stud. 16, 5–26 (1997).
ArticleGoogle Scholar
Collingridge, G. L., Kehl, S. J. & McLennan, H. Excitatory amino acids in synaptic transmission in the Schaffer collateral-commissural pathway of the rat hippocampus. J. Physiol. 334, 33–46 (1983).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Elston, G. N. Cortex, cognition and the cell: new insights into the pyramidal neuron and prefrontal function. Cereb. Cortex 13, 1124–1138 (2003).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Adell, A. Brain NMDA receptors in schizophrenia and depression. Biomolecules 10, 947 (2020).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Haaf, M., Leicht, G., Curic, S. & Mulert, C. Glutamatergic deficits in schizophrenia — biomarkers and pharmacological interventions within the ketamine model. Curr. Pharm. Biotechnol. 19, 293–307 (2018).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Halstead, J. M. et al. Translation. An RNA biosensor for imaging the first round of translation from single cells to living animals. Science 347, 1367–1671 (2015).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Höflich, A. et al. Ketamine-dependent neuronal activation in healthy volunteers. Brain Struct. Funct. 222, 1533–1542 (2017).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Hussain, L. S., Reddy, V. & Maani, C. V. Physiology, noradrenergic synapse. StatPearls (StatPearls, 2023).
Borovsky, V., Herman, M., Dunphy, G., Caplea, A. & Ely, D. CO2 asphyxia increases plasma norepinephrine in rats via sympathetic nerves. Am. J. Physiol. 274, R19–R22 (1998).
CASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Reiner, P. B. Correlational analysis of central noradrenergic neuronal activity and sympathetic tone in behaving cats. Brain Res. 378, 86–96 (1986).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Poe, G. R. et al. Locus coeruleus: a new look at the blue spot. Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 21, 644–659 (2020).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Aston-Jones, G., Rajkowski, J. & Cohen, J. Locus coeruleus and regulation of behavioral flexibility and attention. Prog. Brain Res. 126, 165–182 (2000).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Murchison, C. F. et al. A distinct role for norepinephrine in memory retrieval. Cell 117, 131–143 (2004).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Cahill, L. & Alkire, M. T. Epinephrine enhancement of human memory consolidation: interaction with arousal at encoding. Neurobiol. Learn. Mem. 79, 194–198 (2003).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
LaLumiere, R. T., McGaugh, J. L. & McIntyre, C. K. Emotional modulation of learning and memory: pharmacological implications. Pharmacol. Rev. 69, 236–255 (2017).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Tully, K., Li, Y., Tsvetkov, E. & Bolshakov, V. Y. Norepinephrine enables the induction of associative long-term potentiation at thalamo-amygdala synapses. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 104, 14146–14150 (2007).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Timofeev, I. & Steriade, M. Low-frequency rhythms in the thalamus of intact-cortex and decorticated cats. J. Neurophysiol. 76, 4152–4168 (1996).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Ramadan, W., Eschenko, O. & Sara, S. J. Hippocampal sharp wave/ripples during sleep for consolidation of associative memory. PLoS ONE 4, e6697 (2009).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
McGaugh, J. L. The amygdala modulates the consolidation of memories of emotionally arousing experiences. Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 27, 1–28 (2004).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Martial, C. et al. Intensity and memory characteristics of near-death experiences. Conscious. Cogn. 56, 120–127 (2017).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Thonnard, M. et al. Characteristics of near-death experiences memories as compared to real and imagined events memories. PLoS ONE 8, e57620 (2013).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Hasselmo, M. E. The role of acetylcholine in learning and memory. Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. 16, 710–715 (2006).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
French, I. T. & Muthusamy, K. A. A review of the pedunculopontine nucleus in Parkinson’s disease. Front. Aging Neurosci. 10, 99 (2018).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Lew, C. H. & Semendeferi, K. in Evolution of Nervous Systems (ed. Kaas, J. H.) 277–291 (Elsevier, 2017).
Oswald, M. J. et al. Cholinergic basal forebrain nucleus of Meynert regulates chronic pain-like behavior via modulation of the prelimbic cortex. Nat. Commun. 13, 5014 (2022).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Ziemann, A. E. et al. The amygdala is a chemosensor that detects carbon dioxide and acidosis to elicit fear behavior. Cell 139, 1012–1021 (2009).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Sotelo, J., Perez, R., Cuevara, P. & Fernandez, A. Changes in brain, plasma and cerebrospinal fluid contents of β-endorphin in dogs at the moment of death. Neurol. Res. 17, 223–225 (1995).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Kanchan, T., Rastogi, P. & Mohanty, M. Profile of near drowning victims in a coastal region of Karnataka. J. Indian Acad. Forensic Sci. 29, 52–54 (2007).
Google Scholar
Morse, M. A near-death experience in a 7-year-old child. Arch. Pediatr. Adolesc. Med. 137, 959 (1983).
ArticleCASGoogle Scholar
Blackmore, S. J. Near-death experiences. J. R. Soc. Med. 89, 73–76 (1996).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Bartels, A. & Zeki, S. The neural correlates of maternal and romantic love. Neuroimage 21, 1155–1166 (2004).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Craig, A. D. (Bud). Forebrain emotional asymmetry: a neuroanatomical basis? Trends Cogn. Sci. 9, 566–571 (2005).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Leibenluft, E., Gobbini, M. I., Harrison, T. & Haxby, J. V. Mothers’ neural activation in response to pictures of their children and other children. Biol. Psychiatry 56, 225–232 (2004).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Martial, C., Charland-Verville, V., Dehon, H. & Laureys, S. False memory susceptibility in coma survivors with and without a near-death experience. Psychol. Res. 82, 806–818 (2018).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Kapur, S. Psychosis as a state of aberrant salience: a framework linking biology, phenomenology, and pharmacology in schizophrenia. Am. J. Psychiatry 160, 13–23 (2003).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Preller, K. H. et al. The fabric of meaning and subjective effects in LSD-induced states depend on serotonin 2A receptor activation. Curr. Biol. 27, 451–457 (2017).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Creese, I., Burt, D. R. & Snyder, S. H. Dopamine receptor binding: differentiation of agonist and antagonist states with 3H-dopamine and 3H-haloperidol. Life Sci. 17, 993–1001 (1975).
ArticleCASGoogle Scholar
Vollenweider, F. X., Vollenweider-Scherpenhuyzen, M. F. I., Bäbler, A., Vogel, H. & Hell, D. Psilocybin induces schizophrenia-like psychosis in humans via a serotonin-2 agonist action. Neuroreport 9, 3897–3902 (1998).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Lutz, P. L., Nilsson, G. E. & Prentice, H. M. The Brain Without Oxygen: Causes of Failure-Physiological and Molecular Mechanisms for Survival (Kluwer Academic, 2002).
Martial, C., Fritz, P., Lejeune, N. & Gosseries, O. Exploring awareness in cardiac arrest studies: methodological challenges. Resuscitation 194, 109980 (2024).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Greyson, B. Implications of near-death experiences for a postmaterialist psychology. Psychol. Relig. Spiritual. 2, 37 (2010).
ArticleGoogle Scholar
Bartolomei, F. et al. The role of the dorsal anterior insula in ecstatic sensation revealed by direct electrical brain stimulation. Brain Stimul. 12, 1121–1126 (2019).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Picard, F. & Friston, K. Predictions, perception, and a sense of self. Neurology 83, 1112–1118 (2014).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Arzy, S., Idel, M., Landis, T. & Blanke, O. Why revelations have occurred on mountains? Linking mystical experiences and cognitive neuroscience. Med. Hypotheses 65, 841–845 (2005).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Burtscher, J. & Schwarzer, C. The opioid system in temporal lobe epilepsy: functional role and therapeutic potential. Front. Mol. Neurosci. 10, 245 (2017).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Landtblom, A.-M. The “sensed presence”: an epileptic aura with religious overtones. Epilepsy Behav. 9, 186–188 (2006).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Sacks, O. Seeing God in the third millennium. How the brain creates out-of-body experiences and religious epiphanies. The Atlantichttps://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/12/seeing-god-in-the-third-millennium/266134/ (2012).
Britton, W. B. & Bootzin, R. R. Near-death experiences and the temporal lobe. Psychol. Sci. 15, 254–258 (2004).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Leung, L. C. et al. Neural signatures of sleep in zebrafish. Nature 571, 198–204 (2019).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Scammell, T. E., Arrigoni, E. & Lipton, J. O. Neural circuitry of wakefulness and sleep. Neuron 93, 747–765 (2017).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Yamazaki, R. et al. Evolutionary origin of distinct NREM and REM sleep. Front. Psychol. 11, 567618 (2020).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Peever, J. & Fuller, P. M. The biology of REM sleep. Curr. Biol. 27, R1237–R1248 (2017).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Ohayon, M. M., Priest, R. G., Zulley, J., Smirne, S. & Paiva, T. Prevalence of narcolepsy symptomatology and diagnosis in the European general population. Neurology 58, 1826–1833 (2002).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Kondziella, D., Olsen, M. H., Lemale, C. L. & Dreier, J. P. Migraine aura, a predictor of near-death experiences in a crowdsourced study. PeerJ 7, e8202 (2019).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Lu, J., Sherman, D., Devor, M. & Saper, C. B. A putative flip-flop switch for control of REM sleep. Nature 441, 589–594 (2006).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Nelson, K. R., Mattingly, M. & Schmitt, F. A. Out-of-body experience and arousal. Neurology 68, 794–795 (2007).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Mahowald, M. W. & Schenck, C. H. Dissociated states of wakefulness and sleep. Neurology 42, 44–51 (1992).
CASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Maquet, P. et al. Human cognition during REM sleep and the activity profile within frontal and parietal cortices: a reappraisal of functional neuroimaging data. Prog. Brain Res. 150, 219–227 (2005).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Blanke, O., Ortigue, S., Landis, T. & Seeck, M. Stimulating illusory own-body perceptions. Nature 419, 269–270 (2002).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Vagg, D. J., Bandler, R. & Keay, K. A. Hypovolemic shock: critical involvement of a projection from the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray to the caudal midline medulla. Neuroscience 152, 1099–1109 (2008).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Nicol, A. U. & Morton, A. J. Characteristic patterns of EEG oscillations in sheep (Ovis aries) induced by ketamine may explain the psychotropic effects seen in humans. Sci. Rep. 10, 9440 (2020).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Frohlich, J., Toker, D. & Monti, M. M. Consciousness among delta waves: a paradox? Brain J. Neurol. 144, 2257–2277 (2021).
ArticleGoogle Scholar
Vijayan, S., Lepage, K. Q., Kopell, N. J. & Cash, S. S. Frontal beta-theta network during REM sleep. eLife 6, e18894 (2017).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Timmermann, C. et al. Neural correlates of the DMT experience assessed with multivariate EEG. Sci. Rep. 9, 16324 (2019).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Lee, U. et al. Disruption of frontal–parietal communication by ketamine, propofol, and sevoflurane. Anesthesiology 118, 1264–1275 (2013).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Sarasso, S. et al. Consciousness and complexity during unresponsiveness induced by propofol, xenon, and ketamine. Curr. Biol. 25, 3099–3105 (2015).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Vlisides, P. E. et al. Neurophysiologic correlates of ketamine sedation and anesthesia. Anesthesiology 127, 58–69 (2017).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Vlisides, P. E. et al. Subanaesthetic ketamine and altered states of consciousness in humans. Br. J. Anaesth. 121, 249–259 (2018).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Carhart-Harris, R. L. The entropic brain — revisited. Neuropharmacology 142, 167–178 (2018).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Greyson, B. The near-death experience as a focus of clinical attention. J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. 185, 327–334 (1997).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Noyes, R. & Kletti, R. Depersonalization in the face of life-threatening danger: a description. Psychiatry 39, 19–27 (1976).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Noyes, R. Jr & Kletti, R. Depersonalization in response to life-threatening danger. Compr. Psychiatry 18, 375–384 (1977).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Chawla, L. S., Akst, S., Junker, C., Jacobs, B. & Seneff, M. G. Surges of electroencephalogram activity at the time of death: a case series. J. Palliat. Med. 12, 1095–1100 (2009).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Borjigin, J. et al. Surge of neurophysiological coherence and connectivity in the dying brain. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 110, 14432–14437 (2013).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Bland, N. S., Mattingley, J. B. & Sale, M. V. Gamma coherence mediates interhemispheric integration during multiple object tracking. J. Neurophysiol. 123, 1630–1644 (2020).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Cho, K. K. A. et al. Cross-hemispheric gamma synchrony between prefrontal parvalbumin interneurons supports behavioral adaptation during rule shift learning. Nat. Neurosci. 23, 892–902 (2020).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Ghosh, M. et al. Running speed and REM sleep control two distinct modes of rapid interhemispheric communication. Cell Rep. 40, 111028 (2022).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Lee, D. E. et al. Neural correlates of consciousness at near-electrocerebral silence in an asphyxial cardiac arrest model. Brain Connect. 7, 172–181 (2017).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Vicente, R. et al. Enhanced interplay of neuronal coherence and coupling in the dying human brain. Front. Aging Neurosci. 14, 813531 (2022).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Xu, G. et al. Surge of neurophysiological coupling and connectivity of gamma oscillations in the dying human brain. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 120, e2216268120 (2023).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Seth, A. K. & Bayne, T. Theories of consciousness. Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 23, 439–452 (2022).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Mena-Segovia, J., Sims, H. M., Magill, P. J. & Bolam, J. P. Cholinergic brainstem neurons modulate cortical gamma activity during slow oscillations. J. Physiol. 586, 2947–2960 (2008).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Urbano, F. J. et al. Pedunculopontine nucleus gamma band activity — preconscious awareness, waking, and REM sleep. Front. Neurol. 5, 210 (2014).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Llinás, R. & Ribary, U. Coherent 40-Hz oscillation characterizes dream state in humans. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 90, 2078–2081 (1993).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Boly, M. et al. Are the neural correlates of consciousness in the front or in the back of the cerebral cortex? Clinical and neuroimaging evidence. J. Neurosci. 37, 9603–9613 (2017).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Wittling, W., Block, A., Schweiger, E. & Genzel, S. Hemisphere asymmetry in sympathetic control of the human myocardium. Brain Cogn. 38, 17–35 (1998).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Ammermann, H. et al. MRI brain lesion patterns in patients in anoxia-induced vegetative state. J. Neurol. Sci. 260, 65–70 (2007).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Els, T., Kassubek, J., Kubalek, R. & Klisch, J. Diffusion-weighted MRI during early global cerebral hypoxia: a predictor for clinical outcome? Acta Neurol. Scand. 110, 361–367 (2004).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Holden, J. M. & Loseu, S. Shedding light on the tunnel and light in near-death experiences: a case study. J. Near Death Stud. 34, 27–43 (2015).
Google Scholar
Greyson, B. Near-death experience: clinical implications. Arch. Clin. Psychiatry 34, 116–125 (2007).
ArticleGoogle Scholar
Chawla, L. S. et al. Characterization of end-of-life electroencephalographic surges in critically ill patients. Death Stud. 41, 385–392 (2017).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Schramm, A. E. et al. Identifying neuronal correlates of dying and resuscitation in a model of reversible brain anoxia. Prog. Neurobiol. 185, 101733 (2020).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Nahm, M., Greyson, B., Kelly, E. W. & Haraldsson, E. Terminal lucidity: a review and a case collection. Arch. Gerontol. Geriatr. 55, 138–142 (2012).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Morse, M. L., Venecia, D. & Milstein, J. Near-death experiences: a neurophysiologic explanatory model. J. Near Death Stud. 8, 45–53 (1989).
ArticleGoogle Scholar
Blanke, O., Landis, T., Spinelli, L. & Seeck, M. Out-of-body experience and autoscopy of neurological origin. Brain J. Neurol. 127, 243–258 (2004).
ArticleGoogle Scholar
Blanke, O. & Metzinger, T. Full-body illusions and minimal phenomenal selfhood. Trends Cogn. Sci. 13, 7–13 (2009).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Potts, M. The evidential value of near-death experiences for belief in life after death. J. Near Death Stud. 20, 233–258 (2002).
ArticleGoogle Scholar
Schwartz, J. M., Stapp, H. P. & Beauregard, M. Quantum physics in neuroscience and psychology: a neurophysical model of mind–brain interaction. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B Biol. Sci. 360, 1309–1327 (2005).
ArticleGoogle Scholar
van Lommel, P. About the continuity of our consciousness. Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 550, 115–132 (2004).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Parnia, S. Do reports of consciousness during cardiac arrest hold the key to discovering the nature of consciousness? Med. Hypotheses 69, 933–937 (2007).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Martial, C., Gosseries, O., Cassol, H. & Kondziella, D. Studying death and near-death experiences requires neuroscientific expertise. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 1517, 11–14 (2022).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Vanhaudenhuyse, A., Thonnard, M. & Laureys, S. in Yearbook of Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine 2009 (ed. Vincent, J.-L.) 961–968 (2009).
Barker, S. A., McIlhenny, E. H. & Strassman, R. A critical review of reports of endogenous psychedelic N,N‐dimethyltryptamines in humans: 1955–2010. Drug Test. Anal. 4, 617–635 (2012).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Barker, S. A., Borjigin, J., Lomnicka, I. & Strassman, R. LC/MS/MS analysis of the endogenous dimethyltryptamine hallucinogens, their precursors, and major metabolites in rat pineal gland microdialysate. Biomed. Chromatogr. 27, 1690–1700 (2013).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Beaton, J. M. & Morris, P. E. Ontogeny of N,N-dimethyltryptamine and related indolealkylamine levels in neonatal rats. Mech. Ageing Dev. 25, 343–347 (1984).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Dean, J. G. et al. Biosynthesis and extracellular concentrations of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in mammalian brain. Sci. Rep. 9, 9333 (2019).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Franzen, F. & Gross, H. Tryptamine, N,N-dimethyltryptamine, N,N-dimethyl-5-hydroxytryptamine and 5-methoxytryptamine in human blood and urine. Nature 206, 1052 (1965).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Kärkkäinen, J. et al. Potentially hallucinogenic 5‐hydroxytryptamine receptor ligands bufotenine and dimethyltryptamine in blood and tissues. Scand. J. Clin. Lab. Invest. 65, 189–199 (2005).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Nichols, D. E. N. N-Dimethyltryptamine and the pineal gland: separating fact from myth. J. Psychopharmacol. 32, 30–36 (2018).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Glynos, N. G. et al. Neurochemical and neurophysiological effects of intravenous administration of N,N-dimethyltryptamine in rats. Preprint at bioRxivhttps://doi.org/10.1101/2024.04.19.589047 (2024).
Bush, N. E. & Greyson, B. Distressing near-death experiences: the basics. Mol. Med. 111, 486–490 (2014).
Google Scholar
Cassol, H. et al. A systematic analysis of distressing near-death experience accounts. Memory 27, 1122–1129 (2019).
ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Greyson, B. & Evans Bush, N. Distressing near-death experiences. Psychiatry 55, 95–110 (1992).
ArticleCASPubMedGoogle Scholar
Ring, K. Frightening near-death experiences revisited: a commentary on responses to my paper by Christopher Bache and Nancy Evans Bush. J. Near Death Stud. 13, 55–64 (1994).
Google Scholar
Martial, C. et al. Losing the self in near-death experiences: the experience of ego-dissolution. Brain Sci. 11, 929 (2021).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Andrijevic, D. et al. Cellular recovery after prolonged warm ischaemia of the whole body. Nature 608, 405–412 (2022).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Vrselja, Z. et al. Restoration of brain circulation and cellular functions hours post-mortem. Nature 568, 336–343 (2019).
ArticleCASPubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Joffe, A. R. Should the criterion for brain death require irreversible or permanent cessation of function? Irreversible: the UDDA revision series. Neurology 101, 181–183 (2023).
ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Download references
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to A. Deward (Illumine) for conceptualizing and designing the original Figure 3 and to J. Delroisse (Zoology Laboratory, Université de Mons, Belgium) for his precious phylogenetic insights. This work was supported by the BIAL Foundation. O.G. is a research associate and N.L. is a postdoctoral specialist at Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique, Belgium.
Author information
Author notes
These authors contributed equally: Charlotte Martial, Pauline Fritz.
Authors and Affiliations
Coma Science Group, GIGA-Consciousness, GIGA Institute, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
Charlotte Martial, Pauline Fritz, Olivia Gosseries & Nicolas Lejeune
NeuroRehab & Consciousness Clinic, Neurology Department, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
Charlotte Martial, Pauline Fritz, Olivia Gosseries & Nicolas Lejeune
Anaesthesia and Perioperative Neuroscience Laboratory, GIGA-Consciousness, GIGA Institute, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
Vincent Bonhomme
Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital of Liège, Liège, Belgium
Vincent Bonhomme
Department of Neurology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
Daniel Kondziella
Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Daniel Kondziella
Department of Neurology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
Kevin Nelson
Authors
Charlotte Martial
View author publications
You can also search for this author inPubMedGoogle Scholar
2. Pauline Fritz
View author publications
You can also search for this author inPubMedGoogle Scholar
3. Olivia Gosseries
View author publications
You can also search for this author inPubMedGoogle Scholar
4. Vincent Bonhomme
View author publications
You can also search for this author inPubMedGoogle Scholar
5. Daniel Kondziella
View author publications
You can also search for this author inPubMedGoogle Scholar
6. Kevin Nelson
View author publications
You can also search for this author inPubMedGoogle Scholar
7. Nicolas Lejeune
View author publications
You can also search for this author inPubMedGoogle Scholar
Contributions
N.L., P.F. and C.M. conceptualized the Review, wrote the article and edited the manuscript before submission. All authors contributed substantially to the discussion of the content and reviewed and edited the manuscript before submission. All authors approved the version to be published.
Corresponding author
Correspondence to Charlotte Martial.
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
V.B. has had or continues to have financial relationships with Medtronic, Edwards Medical, Orion Pharma, Grünenthal and Elsevier. He is Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Acta Anaesthesiologica Belgica. The other authors declare no competing interests.
Peer review
Peer review information
Nature Reviews Neurology thanks D. Greer and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.
Additional information
Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary information
Supporting information
Glossary
Agonal
A phenomenon occurring in the final stages of life, typically associated with severe physiological distress or the process of dying.
Atonia
A clinical sign characterized by a reduction in or complete loss of tone and contractility, most often referring to muscle tone.
Aura
The initial symptom of a focal epileptic seizure, reflecting localized abnormal brain activity before it potentially spreads.
Default-mode network
(DMN). A set of brain regions that show correlated functional activity and are typically active during the resting state.
Dissociation
A psychological state in which an individual experiences a disconnection between their thoughts, sensations, memories or sense of identity.
Ego dissolution
A temporary state characterized by the blurring or loss of boundaries between the self and the external world, often accompanied by disruption of self-identity.
Entropic brain hypothesis
A theory suggesting that the subjective quality of a specific experience is reflected in the measurement of brain entropy (greater diversity of brain activity patterns), positing that increased complexity of brain activity correlates with an expansion in some key property of consciousness.
Experiencers
People who have recalled a near-death experience.
Glomus cell
Specialized cells located in the carotid and aortic bodies that act as peripheral chemoreceptors, sensing changes in blood oxygen, CO2 and pH levels and helping to regulate breathing.
Out-of-body experiences
(OBEs). Subjective experiences in which the self is perceived as existing outside the boundaries of a body (disembodiment), sometimes accompanied by the perception of one’s body from an extrapersonal space (autoscopy).
Phenomenology
The lived, first-person experience of reality as it is directly perceived, including sensory, emotional and cognitive elements, shaped by personal context and perspective.
Self-representation
The mental process or cognitive ability by which individuals represent themselves, including their characteristics, values and role within the social and physical environment.
Thanatosis
A behaviour in which an animal ‘plays dead’ by entering a state of immobility or paralysis, typically in an attempt to avoid predators.
Vasovagal syncope
A common type of fainting caused by a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure, leading to reduced blood flow to the brain.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
Reprints and permissions
About this article
Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark
Cite this article
Martial, C., Fritz, P., Gosseries, O. et al. A neuroscientific model of near-death experiences. Nat Rev Neurol (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41582-025-01072-z
Download citation
Accepted:21 February 2025
Published:31 March 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41582-025-01072-z
Share this article
Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:
Get shareable link
Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.
Copy to clipboard
Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative