Marty found out what our brain does before we DIE

The 87-year-old man’s brain activity was being measured when he suddenly had a heart attack and died. This meant the 15 minutes around his death was recorded on the EEG. In the 30 seconds either side of the patient’s final heartbeat, an increase in very specific brain waves were spotted. These waves, known as gamma oscillations, are linked to things like memory retrieval, meditation and dreaming. This could mean – although many more studies would need to take place – we might see a sort of film reel of our best memories. Or we could enter a peaceful dreamlike state in our final moments that has a response in our brain akin to meditation. As our bodies shut down, our brains could still be working hard in a concerted effort to deliver its final task.