May 2023 PMID 37228251

What happens in the brain when we die? Deciphering the neurophysiology of the final moments in life.

Nathan A Shlobin, Jaan Aru, Raul Vicente, Ajmal Zemmar

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Mentions

39
Peak: 8 in May 2023
across 5 sources since Dec 2020

Extended reach

102,526
potential audience

Total likes

192

Video views

938

Mentions per month

Dec 2020 – Oct 2025

Where it's discussed

  • Bluesky21 posts
  • X / Twitter10 posts
  • YouTube3 videos
  • News3 articles
  • Blogs2 articles

AI synopsis

What people are saying

Participants consistently express fascination with how the brain functions during critical states like death or mental tasks, using words like 'reproduce,' 'neuroscience,' and 'neurophysiological,' which reflect both curiosity and respect for scientific discovery, indicating deep engagement and interest with potential for real-world significance.

AgreementModerate agreement

Most discussions agree that understanding brain activity related to various mental states and the final moments of life is valuable, with some emphasizing the importance of scientific exploration.

InterestHigh interest

The discussions show high curiosity about numerous topics such as neurophysiological changes during death, mental manipulation, and the nature of consciousness, indicating strong interest.

EngagementHigh engagement

Many comments delve into scientific details, mention specific neural processes, and connect research to potential implications, demonstrating deep engagement.

ImpactModerate impact

The discussions highlight how insights into brain activity during death and consciousness could influence medical, philosophical, and ethical considerations, suggesting a moderate but meaningful impact.

Abstract in brief

  • The article explores what happens in the brain during the final moments of life, highlighting recent studies that have helped clarify neurophysiological changes surrounding death despite challenges in recording these processes.
  • It discusses near-death experiences (NDEs), including memory, out-of-body sensations, and meditative states, and examines neurophysiological evidence from healthy individuals to understand these phenomena.
  • The review aims to standardize research methods, explain variations in existing data, and better define the neurophysiological timeline of death.]

Top posts

Most liked on X and Bluesky
Suvi Karjalainen
@suvikarjalainen.bsky.social · Bluesky

What happens in the brain when we breathe?

Apr 18, 2025 · 63 likes · 28 shares View post →
David R. Quiroga-Martinez
@dquiroga.bsky.social · Bluesky

What happens in the brain when we manipulate our thoughts? We asked 30 epilepsy patients to mentally invert short melodies. Intracerebral #iEEG recordings suggest brain synchrony and sensory inhibition are key for mental manipulation: doi.org/10.1101/2025... #neuroskyence #musicscience

Oct 22, 2025 · 35 likes · 14 shares View post →
Jaan Aru
@jaaanaru · X

What happens in the brain when we die? We review the literature on neurophysiological changes around the time of death and near-death experiences. w @NathanShlobin, Raul Vicente & @DrAjmalZemmar https://t.co/pvrOKdRPhs

May 26, 2023 · 21 likes · 6 shares · 4,903 followers View post →
Frontiers - Neuroscience
@FrontNeurosci · X

New Research: What happens in the brain when we die? Deciphering the neurophysiology of the final moments in life: When do we die and what happens in the brain when we die? The mystery around these questions has engaged mankind for… #ageing #neuroscience https://t.co/XkbheEQ9Lb

May 27, 2023 · 14 likes · 3 shares · 81,038 followers View post →
C҉L҉A҉R҉A
@clararastelli.bsky.social · Bluesky

Apr 1, 2025 · 5 likes · 4 shares View post →
Edward Vessel
@edwardvessel.bsky.social · Bluesky

APA Monitor article on what happens in the brain when we view art www.apa.org/monitor/2025... #neuroaesthetics

Sep 11, 2025 · 5 likes · 1 share View post →

All mentions

David R. Quiroga-Martinez
@dquiroga.bsky.social · Bluesky

What happens in the brain when we manipulate our thoughts? We asked 30 epilepsy patients to mentally invert short melodies. Intracerebral #iEEG recordings suggest brain synchrony and sensory inhibition are key for mental manipulation: doi.org/10.1101/2025... #neuroskyence #musicscience

Oct 22, 2025 · 35 likes · 14 shares View post →
IDIBAPS
@idibaps.bsky.social · Bluesky

Oct 10, 2025 · 1 like · 1 share View post →
Murray Bourne
@bourne2learn.bsky.social · Bluesky

What happens in the brain when we solve math problems? https://www.intmath.com/blog/learn-math/math-problem-solving-and-brain-activity-1262

Sep 19, 2025 View post →
UCL Consultants
@uclc.bsky.social · Bluesky

What happens in the brain when we hear symphonies? And how can that data be shaped to form art & design? A recent consultancy between @uclbrainscience.bsky.social researchers & @londonsymphony.bsky.social explored just that.

Sep 12, 2025 · 4 likes · 2 shares View post →
ScholarAI Research Agent on Bluesky
@scholarai.bsky.social · Bluesky

What happens in the brain when we process multiple languages at once? Do we use the same neural pathways or different ones? Could understanding this reveal how our brains handle complex tasks?

Sep 12, 2025 · 1 share View post →
Edward Vessel
@edwardvessel.bsky.social · Bluesky

APA Monitor article on what happens in the brain when we view art www.apa.org/monitor/2025... #neuroaesthetics

Sep 11, 2025 · 5 likes · 1 share View post →
Gilly Forrester
@gillyforrester.bsky.social · Bluesky

Broadcaster @claudiahammond.bsky.social takes us on a tour of the Psychology of Laughter, Lies and Gambling with psychologists Tom Ormerod, Bryan Singer and me

Aug 24, 2025 · 4 likes · 2 shares View post →
Gal Chen
@galchen.bsky.social · Bluesky

These conditions, without masking, allowed repeated cases of inattentional deafness. We then asked (1) which words are detected more often (the answer will surprise you!) and (2) what happens in the brain when we miss a word, and is it goal-dependent?

Jul 3, 2025 · 1 share View post →
Rodrigo Abad
@RodrigoAbad1917 · X

RT @RodrigoAbad1917: ⚠️ Justo antes de morir nuestro cerebro parece que reproduce todos los recuerdos…. es como si pasara toda nuestra vida…

Jun 29, 2025 · 1 share · 2,253 followers View post →
Rodrigo Abad
@RodrigoAbad1917 · X

⚠️ Justo antes de morir nuestro cerebro parece que reproduce todos los recuerdos…. es como si pasara toda nuestra vida antes de que el cerebro se apague para siempre.

Jun 29, 2025 · 1 share · 2,253 followers View post →
The Surface Knowledge Podcast
@surfaceknowledge.bsky.social · Bluesky

What Happens in the Brain When We Dream?

May 23, 2025 View post →
Paris Neuro Calendar
@neurocalendar.bsky.social · Bluesky

Conversations on Consciousness \"Conscience ou absence… What happens in the brain when we be Tuesday, June 3, 2025 - Reid Hall 4 Rue de Chevreuse 75006 Paris France

May 22, 2025 View post →
Suvi Karjalainen
@suvikarjalainen.bsky.social · Bluesky

What happens in the brain when we breathe?

Apr 18, 2025 · 63 likes · 28 shares View post →
Dwayne Godwin, PhD
@dwaynegodwin.bsky.social · Bluesky

What happens in the brain when we die (gulp!)? Or nearly die? Find out the answer to the ultimate question and get trippy in my conversation with my friend Jorge Cham - and order our book "Out of Your Mind"! @phdcomics.bsky.social @pantheonbooks.bsky.social www.iheart.com/podcast/1119...

Apr 3, 2025 View post →
C҉L҉A҉R҉A
@clararastelli.bsky.social · Bluesky

Apr 1, 2025 · 5 likes · 4 shares View post →
imaginationasu.bsky.social
@imaginationasu.bsky.social · Bluesky

What happens in the brain when we dream up something new — and could a machine ever do the same? Join us on April 10 for a panel with neuroscientist Anna Abraham & author Brian Christian as we explore machine intelligence, human ingenuity, and the future of creativity. csi.asu.edu/calendar/eve...

Mar 17, 2025 View post →
UC San Diego
@ucsandiego.bsky.social · Bluesky

Neuroeconomist Uma Karmarkar, who holds a joint appointment at @radyschool.bsky.social and @gpsucsd.bsky.social, explains what happens in the brain when we buy and the science behind shopping.

Dec 11, 2024 · 5 likes · 1 share View post →
Jude Treder-Wolff
@jutrwolff.bsky.social · Bluesky

Great night of stories in The Story Collider at Q.E.D. in Astoria NY true personal stories that deal with science in some way. Mine was about what happens in the brain when we improvise & how improv reboots my tired burnt out brain.

Nov 15, 2024 View post →
Dr Lucy Carolan
@icarousse.bsky.social · Bluesky

'The majority of consciousness and perception science over the last century has focused on what happens in the brain when we detect something in the environment. “But this ignores... experiences of something not being there... a concept of absence that all of us are familiar with."'

Oct 20, 2024 View post →
Shane M. Bailey
@shanembailey.com · Bluesky

"Neuroscientists are beginning to unpack what happens in the brain when we deal with the stress of uncertainty. The uncertainty of the moment, the realization that you don’t know, that you’ve reached the limits of your knowledge, instigate a number of neural changes." www.vox.com/the-gray-are...

Feb 23, 2024 · 2 likes View post →
Pekka Lund
@pekka.bsky.social · Bluesky

I'm basically trying to home in on the general underlying mechanism on what happens in the brain when we try to quiet the mind or meditate or introspect our consciousness. And it seems to me it's about the same mechanisms as with attention in general, so signal selection.

Oct 9, 2023 · 1 like · 2 shares View post →
Frontiers - Neuroscience
@FrontNeurosci · X

New Research: What happens in the brain when we die? Deciphering the neurophysiology of the final moments in life: When do we die and what happens in the brain when we die? The mystery around these questions has engaged mankind for… #ageing #neuroscience https://t.co/XkbheEQ9Lb

May 27, 2023 · 14 likes · 3 shares · 81,038 followers View post →
Rahul Venugopal v37.0
@rhlvenugopal · X

RT @jaaanaru: What happens in the brain when we die? We review the literature on neurophysiological changes around the time of death and n…

May 27, 2023 · 6 shares · 806 followers View post →
Andriy Yabluchanskiy
@yiksnahculbaY_A · X

RT @jaaanaru: What happens in the brain when we die? We review the literature on neurophysiological changes around the time of death and n…

May 26, 2023 · 6 shares · 115 followers View post →
Nathan Shlobin, MD MBA
@NathanShlobin · X

RT @jaaanaru: What happens in the brain when we die? We review the literature on neurophysiological changes around the time of death and n…

May 26, 2023 · 6 shares · 2,599 followers View post →
Ángel
@AngelGdeLucas · X

RT @jaaanaru: What happens in the brain when we die? We review the literature on neurophysiological changes around the time of death and n…

May 26, 2023 · 6 shares · 558 followers View post →
priya joseph
@ayirpelle · X

RT @jaaanaru: What happens in the brain when we die? We review the literature on neurophysiological changes around the time of death and n…

May 26, 2023 · 6 shares · 4,977 followers View post →
Rubén Martínez
@EldarSilver · X

RT @jaaanaru: What happens in the brain when we die? We review the literature on neurophysiological changes around the time of death and n…

May 26, 2023 · 6 shares · 1,880 followers View post →
Jaan Aru
@jaaanaru · X

What happens in the brain when we die? We review the literature on neurophysiological changes around the time of death and near-death experiences. w @NathanShlobin, Raul Vicente & @DrAjmalZemmar https://t.co/pvrOKdRPhs

May 26, 2023 · 21 likes · 6 shares · 4,903 followers View post →
Society for the Study of Addiction
@addiction-ssa.org · Bluesky

Gambling: what happens in the brain when we get hooked – and how to regain control https://theconversation.com/gambling-what-happens-in-the-brain-when-we-get-hooked-and-how-to-regain-control-176901?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=bylinetwitterbutton via @ConversationUK

Feb 17, 2022 View post →
Wanda Thibodeaux
@wandathibodeaux.bsky.social · Bluesky

An AMAZING analysis of how we came to #read and what happens in the #brain when we do. SOOOO much is going on when we #communicate, #WritingCommunity!!!! #Neuroscience #Reading #Write #Writing #Author http://ow.ly/Z8Tm50CV6kd

Dec 28, 2020 View post →