A Conscious Head

Here's a quick trivia. Did you know that you may still be conscious for a few seconds after you have been cleanly and quickly d*capitated?

How?

First we need to understand what mechanisms in our brain drive our consciousness.

Although there are still a lot of mysteries about it, we do know that electrical activity in our brains' neural networks play a significant role in our conscious experiences and the basis of our conscious experiences are chemicals called neurotransmitters.

These neurotransmitters generate electrical signals that form the connection by which neurons communicate with one another and eventually form neural networks.

When we stimulate these networks, we experience the physical sensations and emotions that make up our lives.

So the idea is that, so long as there are electrical activities in your brain after you have been b*headed, we can assume that you are still experiencing consciousness.

And this idea has been supported by numerous empirical studies on lab rats through the use of technology like electroencephalography (EEG) that measures brain waves wherein electrical activities can still be detected as long as 4 seconds after the rats have been quickly b*headed.

Imagine yourself being a conscious head after separating from your body. What would you think at that point? It seems awkward.

Reference:

• "Do You Really Stay Conscious After Being D*capitated?" by Josh Clark. Science How Stuff Works | 2019

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