http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/121028.php
World's Largest-Ever Study Of Near-Death Experiences
The University of Southampton is launching the world's largest-ever study of near-death experiences this week.
The AWARE (AWAreness during REsuscitation) study is to be launched by the Human Consciousness Project of the University of Southampton - an international collaboration of scientists and physicians who have joined forces to study the human brain, consciousness and clinical death.
The study is led by Dr Sam Parnia, an expert in the field of consciousness during clinical death, together with Dr Peter Fenwick and Professors Stephen Holgate and Robert Peveler of the University of Southampton. Following a successful 18-month pilot phase at selected hospitals in the UK, the study is now being expanded to include other centres within the UK, mainland Europe and North America.
"Contrary to popular perception," Dr Parnia explains, "death is not a specific moment. It is a process that begins when the heart stops beating, the lungs stop working and the brain ceases functioning - a medical condition termed cardiac arrest, which from a biological viewpoint is synonymous with clinical death.
"During a cardiac arrest, all three criteria of death are present. There then follows a period of time, which may last from a few seconds to an hour or more, in which emergency medical efforts may succeed in restarting the heart and reversing the dying process. What people experience during this period of cardiac arrest provides a unique window of understanding into what we are all likely to experience during the dying process."
A number of recent scientific studies carried out by independent researchers have demonstrated that 10-20 per cent of people who go through cardiac arrest and clinical death report lucid, well structured thought processes, reasoning, memories and sometimes detailed recall of events during their encounter with death.
During the AWARE study, doctors will use sophisticated technology to study the brain and consciousness during cardiac arrest. At the same time, they will test the validity of out of body experiences and claims of being able to 'see' and 'hear' during cardiac arrest.
The AWARE study will be complemented by the BRAIN-1 (Brain Resuscitation Advancement International Network - 1) study, in which the research team will conduct a variety of physiological tests in cardiac arrest patients, as well as cerebral monitoring techniques that aim to identify methods to improve the medical and psychological care of patients who have undergone cardiac arrest.
Dr Parnia will formally announce the launch of the AWARE study at an international symposium to be held at the United Nations on September 11.
1. The Human Consciousness Project of the University of Southampton is an international consortium of scientists and physicians who have come together with the aim of studying the brain and consciousness during cardiac arrest and clinical death through multi-centre studies across major academic institutions in the United States, Canada, and Europe.
2. The current UK centres participating in the study include Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust, Hammersmith and Charing Cross, St Georges, Mayday, Ashford and St Peter's, Morriston (Swansea), Royal Bournemouth, Lister Hospital (Stevenage), Northampton General, and Salisbury Hospitals.
These will be joined by the John Radcliffe (Oxford) Addenbrookes (Cambridge), Great Western (Swindon), University Hospital Birmingham, James Paget University (Great Yarmouth) and East Sussex Hospitals.
Collaborators in the US include Indiana State University, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, Drexel University, Brooklyn Medical Center, the University of Virginia, Wayne State University and New York University; as well as Vienna General Hospital in Austria.
3. The University of Southampton is a leading UK teaching and research institution with a global reputation for leading-edge research and scholarship across a wide range of subjects in engineering, science, social sciences, health and humanities.
With over 22,000 students, around 5000 staff, and an annual turnover of over £350 million, the University of Southampton is acknowledged as one of the country's top institutions for engineering, computer science and medicine. We combine academic excellence with an innovative and entrepreneurial approach to research, supporting a culture that engages and challenges students and staff in their pursuit of learning.
The University is also home to a number of world-leading research centres, including the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, the Optoelectronics Research Centre, the Centre for the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, and the Mountbatten Centre for International Studies.