The bright light at the end of the tunnel before death may be due to an influx of serotonin in the brain.
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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The bright light at the end of the tunnel, which is described by some barely surviving people, may be the result of an influx of serotonin in the brain.
Nearly every fifth dangerously ill person experiences similar near-death experience, and his reasons are still unclear. Moreover, in general, the neurobiological processes accompanying dying and death remain unexplored.
Alexander Vucler from the Berlin Medical University Charité (FRG) and his colleagues decided to turn to the sources - to one of the most ancient phylogenetic neurotransmitters, serotonin. He is involved in mood management, as well as processing visual images and sounds.
Researchers overfed six rats with an anesthetic and followed what was happening in the brain. By the time of death, the serotonin level increased threefold. Experts believe that this could be caused by the neuroprotective activity of the serotonergic system of the brain, which softens the perception of the process of dying (as noted above, serotonin regulates our mood).
"Do they really believe that rats have a near-death experience?" - that's all that commentator Jacob Howe from the Monash University (Australia) was able to say about this study.