Semiology and Mechanisms of Near-Death Experiences
Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports July 27, 2019 Costanza Peinkhofer, Jens P. Dreier, Daniel Kondziella 45 citations
Near-death experiences (NDEs) are conscious perceptual experiences involving self-related emotional, spiritual, and mystical feelings that can occur in close encounters with death or in non-life-threatening situations. Their origin remains unknown. Recent prospective studies confirm that NDEs represent a spectrum of highly distinctive memories associated with negative or positive emotions, influenced by the causal event, though the temporal sequence of images varies. Some drugs, particularly ketamine, can produce experiences similar or identical to NDEs. New models extend previous neural network theories and incorporate evolutionary and quantum aspects. While NDEs' factual existence is no longer doubted and their semiology is well-described, a comprehensive pathophysiological model is still lacking.