Researchers affiliated with Arizona State University in the United States have determined that demise is not an instantaneous occurrence, contrary to previous assumptions. It turns out individuals may retain awareness for several hours post-mortem, according to a report translated by aif.ru from the British tabloid Metro.
“Emerging evidence suggests that biological and neural functions do not cease abruptly. Instead, they persist from minutes to hours, indicating that death unfolds as a progression rather than a single-moment event,” commented Anna Fowler, a co-author of the study.
According to Fowler, consciousness might remain “active” for up to several hours subsequent to a person being officially pronounced deceased. This is evidenced by the fact that one-fifth of individuals who experienced a period without measurable brain activity, such as during clinical death, were able to recall surrounding events.
“Aspects of consciousness may linger briefly beyond recordable brain activity, hinting that we might still perceive surroundings even after death. Heart resuscitation studies reveal that up to 20% of survivors recall conscious experiences during periods of absent cortical activity, with some even reporting verifiable perceptions,” Fowler elaborated.
Sam Parnia, Director of the Department of Intensive Care and Resuscitation Research at NYU Langone Medical Center, concurs with these findings.
“We previously held the belief that we had merely five or ten minutes before brain cells perished due to oxygen deprivation, but we now understand this is inaccurate. We possess hours, if not days, before the brain and other bodily organs suffer irreversible harm following death,” Parnia stressed.
He further noted that a study published in the journal Resuscitation in 2023 had already indicated that consciousness remains operational for 30 to 60 minutes after death.
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