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Is terminal lucidity real?

by Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston
23rd Oct 2025
1 min read
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This is a linkpost for https://open.substack.com/pub/preservinghope/p/is-terminal-lucidity-real?r=3ba3ec&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

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As a neuroscientist, I became fascinated by the supposed phenomenon of 'terminal lucidity', where people with severe dementia suddenly become lucid again shortly before death. It sounds impossible given how catastrophically damaged their brains are, but it keeps being reported across cultures and centuries. If it's real, it could suggest new treatment methods for Alzheimer's (not just another ineffective amyloid-clearing antibody), yet it's shockingly understudied.