UofL neurosurgeon continues research after recording activity in a dying brain

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - After he got everyone talking by tracking the activity of a dying brain, UofL Health Neurosurgeon, Dr. Ajmal Zemmar, now finds his work on a prestigious list.

”I think that’s pretty remarkable for our group, for our work and also knowing what interest society has in this field,” Zemmar said.

Technology Networks ranked Zemmar’s achievement second on a top 10 list of neuroscience stories of 2022.

He recorded by accident the activity of a dying brain, the first time that had ever been done on a human.

It sparked widespread speculation that he may have cracked an age-old secret: what are we thinking as we die?

However, as we soon enter 2023, Zemmar said taking his work to the next step has been slow.

He said added funding for his research would be helpful.

”I think in times like this, when you look at the big schools and the big places in the country, there is philanthropists who jump in,” Zemmar said. “We’re hoping somebody would. If somebody is interested, we would love to work together.”

Beyond possibly proving that our life passes before our eyes when we die, Zemmar’s findings show the brain continues thinking after the heart stops.

It’s a flicker of light in questions surrounded by darkness: When *do* we die? After the heart stops, how long do we keep thinking? Are we conscious of those thoughts? All questions with huge medical ramifications.

”These questions are the big open questions not just relevant to society and us as human beings,” Zemmar said, “but they are relevant for the medical field to say when is somebody really dead.”

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