Continuity of Consciousness Processes Beyond Clinical Death, the AETHERA Protocol for the Study of Post–Cardiac Arrest Neural Coherence Patterns
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62059/LatArXiv.preprints.577Keywords:
Consciousness, Clinical death, EEG, Neural coherence, Integrated information, Bioethics, Statistical analysis, ReproducibilityAbstract
This study proposes a systematic investigation of the disconnection dynamics of brain activity following cardiac arrest through the AETHERA Protocol (Assessment of Extrinsic Transitional Hemodynamic and Electrophysiological Residual Activity, inspired by the Greek root aether as the intermediate space between matter and spirit). The protocol integrates multimodal recordings (high-density EEG, magnetoencephalography, and functional near-infrared spectroscopy) to quantify patterns of residual neural coherence. Two main hypotheses are established: H1) the transient emergence of organized gamma coherence patterns that exceed thresholds typical of deep unconscious states; and H2) a positive correlation between these patterns and structured memories of near-death experiences. The design includes statistically defined control groups, robust quantitative metrics (ICP, LZc, wSMI), a technical replicability plan with data storage in BIDS format, and a strict ethical framework with informed consent by representative. The AETHERA Protocol will establish a reproducible experimental line that opens new frontiers for the objective study of consciousness under extreme conditions.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Marcelo Gallardo Nicolalde (Autor/a)
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