Near-death CO(2)nsciousness?

The mystical, otherworldly near-death experiences reported by many people who have come back to tell the tale may be linked to high levels of CO₂ in the blood, suggests the New Scientist. A team led by Zalika Klemenc-Ketiš found high blood levels of both CO₂ and potassium in 11 patients who had survived cardiac arrest, out of a sample of 52 in total.

While high levels of CO₂ are known to cause hallucinations, however, this study points out an association, rather than offer an explanation of the fascinating phenomenon. Why not all patients with high CO₂ levels have a glimpse of 'the other side', and whether people who are revived after moments of clinical death from causes other than cardiac arrest also have near-death experiences are open questions.

Full article in the New Scientist.

Still from the excellent film Den brysomme mannen

(aka The bothersome man, Norway 2006)