End-of-life electrical surges

Abstract

We read the study by Borjigin et al. about postcardiac arrest electrical activity and the possible explanation for near death experiences (NDEs) with great interest (1). Our research group at The George Washington University Medical Center published an observation of end-of-life electrical surges (ELES) in 2009 (2). In that study, we proposed that ELES could be responsible for NDEs, and this new study largely confirms that hypothesis. However, it is important to recognize that nothing has been definitively proven. Nonetheless, the findings of multiple research groups confirm that organized electrical activity can emanate from the brain at the time of death (3, 4). Our ongoing research here at The George Washington University Medical Center suggest that about half of patients who succumb in the intensive care unit display an ELES, and the waveform is at a higher frequency than that observed in animals. The significance of ELES remains unknown and is the source of significant controversy.