Do you go unconscious and die instantly the second your heart stops? If so, what causes that to happen instead of taking a little while for your brain to actually “turn off” from the lack of oxygen?

Question

Like if you get shot in the head, your death is obviously instantaneous (in most cases) because your brain is literally gone. Does that mean that after getting shot directly in your heart, you would still be conscious for a little while until your brain stops due to the inability to get fresh blood/oxygen to it?

In: Biology

Answer 1

Things that stop your heart are often doing other bad shit too. Sometimes your brain intentionally shuts down to preserve itself if there’s, eg, a sudden drop in blood pressure.