Scientific American: "NDEs have scientific explanations"

[mgcardin]

This was published just today by Scientific American. Comments, anyone?

Peace of Mind: Near-Death Experiences Now Found to Have Scientific Explanations

Seeing your life pass before you and the light at the end of the tunnel, can be explained by new research on abnormal functioning of dopamine and oxygen flow.

Charles Q. Choi, Scientific American, September 12, 2011

Near-death experiences are often thought of as mystical phenomena, but research is now revealing scientific explanations for virtually all of their common features. The details of what happens in near-death experiences are now known widely—a sense of being dead, a feeling that one's "soul" has left the body, a voyage toward a bright light, and a departure to another reality where love and bliss are all-encompassing.

Approximately 3 percent of the U.S. population says they have had a near-death experience, according to a Gallup poll. Near-death experiences are reported across cultures, with written records of them dating back to ancient Greece. Not all of these experiences actually coincide with brushes with death—one study of 58 patients who recounted near-death experiences found 30 were not actually in danger of dying, although most of them thought they were.

Recently, a host of studies has revealed potential underpinnings for all the elements of such experiences. "Many of the phenomena associated with near-death experiences can be biologically explained," says neuroscientist Dean Mobbs, at the University of Cambridge's Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit. Mobbs and Caroline Watt at the University of Edinburgh detailed this research online August 17 in Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

For instance, the feeling of being dead is not limited to near-death experiences—patients with Cotard or "walking corpse" syndrome hold the delusional belief that they are deceased. This disorder has occurred following trauma, such as during advanced stages of typhoid and multiple sclerosis, and has been linked with brain regions such as the parietal cortex and the prefrontal cortex—"the parietal cortex is typically involved in attentional processes, and the prefrontal cortex is involved in delusions observed in psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia," Mobbs explains. Although the mechanism behind the syndrome remains unknown, one possible explanation is that patients are trying to make sense of the strange experiences they are having.

Out-of-body experiences are also now known to be common during interrupted sleep patterns that immediately precede sleeping or waking. For instance, sleep paralysis, or the experience of feeling paralyzed while still aware of the outside world, is reported in up to 40 percent of all people and is linked with vivid dreamlike hallucinations that can result in the sensation of floating above one's body. A 2005 study found that out-of-body experiences can be artificially triggered by stimulating the right temporoparietal junction in the brain, suggesting that confusion regarding sensory information can radically alter how one experiences one's body.

A variety of explanations might also account for reports by those dying of meeting the deceased. Parkinson's disease patients, for example, have reported visions of ghosts, even monsters. The explanation? Parkinson's involves abnormal functioning of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that can evoke hallucinations. And when it comes to the common experience of reliving moments from one's life, one culprit might be the locus coeruleus, a midbrain region that releases noradrenaline, a stress hormone one would expect to be released in high levels during trauma. The locus coeruleus is highly connected with brain regions that mediate emotion and memory, such as the amygdala and hypothalamus.

In addition, research now shows that a number of medicinal and recreational drugs can mirror the euphoria often felt in near-death experiences, such as the anesthetic ketamine, which can also trigger out-of-body experiences and hallucinations. Ketamine affects the brain's opioid system, which can naturally become active even without drugs when animals are under attack, suggesting trauma might set off this aspect of near-death experiences, Mobbs explains.

Finally, one of the most famous aspects of near-death hallucinations is moving through a tunnel toward a bright light. Although the specific causes of this part of near-death experiences remain unclear, tunnel vision can occur when blood and oxygen flow is depleted to the eye, as can happen with the extreme fear and oxygen loss that are both common to dying.

Altogether, scientific evidence suggests that all features of the near-death experience have some basis in normal brain function gone awry. Moreover, the very knowledge of the lore regarding near-death episodes might play a crucial role in experiencing them—a self-fulfilling prophecy. Such findings "provide scientific evidence for something that has always been in the realm of paranormality," Mobbs says. "I personally believe that understanding the process of dying can help us come to terms with this inevitable part of life."

One potential obstacle to further research on near-death experiences will be analyzing them experimentally, says cognitive neuroscientist Olaf Blanke at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne in Switzerland, who has investigated out-of-body experiences. Still, "our work has shown that this can be done for out-of-body experiences, so why not for near-death-experience-associated sensations?"

[mgcardin]

Okay, I'll be the first (only one?) to comment:

I find the article both interesting and, if it's not contradictory nonsense to say, simultaneously breathtaking and utterly unsurprising in its automatic attitude of biological reductionism. Not that I'd expect The Atlantic to get deeply into a discussion of relative metaphysics and ontologies, but then again, what the hell else is the whole subject of NDEs about? The ontological question is both in-your-face and flat-out buried beneath (overt) assumptions and begged questions in this piece. "Many of the phenomena associated with near-death experiences can be biologically explained," says neuroscientist Dean Mobbs. Oh, cool, says I. And pray tell, Dr. Mobbs, do you mean "explained" or "explained away"?

I know my daimonically (in the Patrick Harpur-ian sense) slanted take on such things isn't exactly what you get at with your ITLADian theory, Tony. But this is the type of thing the Atlantic article leads me to reflect on: how material reductionism, despite its epic and thoroughly exposed shortcomings, continues to be the default point, the resting point, of what's currently framed as mainstream science, and also of the mainstream news media.

[Sisyphus]

i agree mgcardin. Not explained at all. An explanation enlightens us all. i often get the impression that if Science can put a name to it then it is assumed it is automatically explained and put away.... despite the fact that it is not really explained at all....

i disagree completely with being 'out of body' being termed as a hallucination. Really could not disagree more. The first person perspective (science denigrates it calling it "anecdotal" evidence...ie not worth much at all) is how you live your life and your experiences.

My own obe was somewhat unremarkable but it certainly was not a hallucination. The feeling i can describe is being squeezed slowly out of my body (wrenching) it was quite painful and *very real.*

[Anthony Peake]

Matt & Sysiphus,

My apologies. Somehow I missed this important posting. I can only assume this is because in September I was involved in working my way through the proofs of my next book and I was not keeping an eye on what was taking place on the Forum.

For me the response is a simple one; what is meant be the term "scientific explanations"? Describing something doesn't explain it. For example I am well aware of the neurological "explanation" for the NDE. Indeed I cite it regularly in my books and articles. Of course it is brought about by neurochemical processes in the brain. Everything is! The way consciousness interfaces with Consensual Reality is facilitated by a cocktail of neurotransmitters stimulating firing sequences in certain patterns across the cortex. This can be seen using PET scans. The Materialist-Reductionists then crow that they have "explained" consciousness by analysing these sequences and chemicals. But the fact of the matter they have explained nothing but an observed process in the brain that relates to certain conscious experiences. To isolate a relationship is not explaining the experience. I came across a wonderful analogy with regards to brain science. Trying to explain consciousness by reducing the brain's processes is like dismantling a motorbike to discover speed. In other words the NDE is an experience perceived by a sentient, self reflective, non-physical awareness that is believed to be located in the brain. This non-physical something is what senses the sensations related to an NDE. How these chemicals actually cause these experiences is patently NOT explained. Why does Cotard's syndrome give this consciousness the belief that it is deceased? If I reduce the neurochemical causes of the syndrome (typhoid and multiple sclerosis) where will I find the bits of deceased-ness that manifests in the awareness of the person experiencing the syndrome? Why does it make the person feel anything? This goes to the roots of the on-going mystery of qualia.... the intensity and subjectiveness of experiences such as the redness of a red apple or the intensity of pain. These things simply do not fit into the reductionist-materialist model. This is simply because the chemicals in themselves are nothing but chemicals. They do not contain elements of deceasedness which somehow manifest themselves into the awareness of the subject. It is the subject that creates the feeling that they are dead, NOT the chemicals. Going on, why does dopomine bring about hallucinations? Dopomine is a physical chemical. An hallucination is "experienced" within the mind of the person. The hallucination, just like the consciousness experiencing it, exists in a non-physical "reality". How can a physical chemical such as any neurotransmitter "create" something that is non-physical (something that does not exist in three-dimensional space, cannot be weighed and exists outside of time as well as space). This is the argument against Cartesian Dualism and yet those same scientist who denigrate any form of dualism regularly cite it as an "explanation" for qualia and other experiences. It seems that the old cartoon "then a miracle happens" is very applicable here.

As philosopher David Chalmers argues, science cannot "explain" the "Hard Problem" of how the brain "creates" self-aware consciousness. The same issue applies to how neurochemicals "create" a full NDE.

Every single "explanation" cited in this article I have written about, for example Sue Blackmore's model of "tunnel vision" (which I agree with by the way) and I feature in great detail the work of Olaf Blanke in my OBE book. Indeed there is nothing in this article that is new in the sense that all the models cited have been around for years. What I find of significance is what motivates magazines to suddenly trundle old information out and suggest that it is "leading edge" or revolutionary.

Cheers

Tony

[Derkein]

This was published just today by Scientific American. Comments, anyone?

Not all of these experiences actually coincide with brushes with death

None of mine have

"Many of the phenomena associated with near-death experiences can be biologically explained," says neuroscientist Dean Mobbs,

How about commenting on the 'not many' that can't, then look again at the others

This disorder has occurred following trauma, such as during advanced stages of typhoid and multiple sclerosis,
Although the mechanism behind the syndrome remains unknown, one possible explanation is that patients are trying to make sense of the strange experiences they are having.

I haven't got typhoid multiple sclerosis or Parkinsons, did any of the testees above?


Out-of-body experiences are also now known to be common during interrupted sleep patterns that immediately precede sleeping or waking.

Err - yes

A 2005 study found that out-of-body experiences can be artificially triggered by stimulating the right temporoparietal junction in the brain, suggesting that confusion regarding sensory information can radically alter how one experiences one's body.

A hammer can cause unconsciousness, but isn't the only cause. Second part is blatantly obvious as anyone who has been on a fair ride can confirm

A variety of explanations might also account for reports by those dying of meeting the deceased. Parkinson's disease patients, for example, have reported visions of ghosts, even monsters. The explanation? Parkinson's involves abnormal functioning of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that can evoke hallucinations.

So all OOBE experiences are a result of Parkinsons/multiple sclerosis or typhoid - what about cholera? and 3% of the US population (those who have had NDE) have one of these deseases then - scary

In addition, research now shows that a number of medicinal and recreational drugs can mirror the euphoria often felt in near-death experiences, such as the anesthetic ketamine, which can also trigger out-of-body experiences and hallucinations.

FFS - err yes

Finally, one of the most famous aspects of near-death hallucinations is moving through a tunnel toward a bright light. Although the specific causes of this part of near-death experiences remain unclear,

mmm unclear eh

Altogether, scientific evidence suggests that all features of the near-death experience have some basis in normal brain function gone awry.

err by definition they aren't 'normal'

[Derkein]

Or in a more polite and politic form:

Its good to see scientific evidence that indicates if you don't have Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis or Typhoid, and are not actually about to die, there appears to be no reasonable scientific explanation for these events. Ergo its likely they are what would be commonly known as a paranormal event.