Jimo Borjigin, PhD

Molecular & Integrative Physiology

Neuroscience Graduate Program

Physiological basis of near-death consciousness is one of the diverse research interests for Dr. Jimo Borjigin’s laboratory, as it is relevant to the well-known near-death experiences (NDE) reported by cardiac arrest survivors. Her research training (both PhD and Postdoc), from the department of Neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins Medical School, was in Molecular Neuroscience with focus on the role of the pineal gland in circadian rhythms. Since tenured at the University of Michigan Physiology department in 2009, she initiated a new research exploration into the scientific basis of NDE and successfully uncovered a surprisingly active brain in dying animals for the very first time. Her pioneering research in this area is now extended into dying humans, which she hopes to lead to new findings on the human near-death consciousness and improve our understanding of NDE.

Endogenous dimethyltryptamine (DMT), another one of Borjigin lab’s recent interests born from her long-term research fascination with the pineal gland, is thought to play a role in human consciousness. Her current research is designed to determine the biochemical and molecular mechanisms of its endogenous presence in rodent brain, and to define functional roles it may play in the brain.

Electrocardiomatrix (ECM), patented invention born from the Borjigin lab’s efforts to understand the newly discovered heart-brain interactions in dying animals, is an essential tool for integrative investigation of heart-brain communications that impact on human emotion and cognitions. It offers accurate detection of atrial fibrillation in stroke patients and is predicted to markedly improve cardiac arrhythmia detection.