Brain Questions

[cfedak]

Is there any scientific reason for dejavu? Is the experience so
similar to something else that happened to you that the neurons make
false connections and give the impression that this has already
happened or that you have seen the future?

[J. Timothy Cannon]

Very sorry that I've been so slow to reply.

Eric Chudler has provided an excellent answer to your deja vu
question:

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Answer: Deja vu is the perception that a current "event" has happened
in the past. There has not been too much research on the misunderstood
topic of deja vu, but there are numerous cases of people with
"temporal epilepsy" who experience sensations of deja vu. Also,
electrical stimulation of the temporal lobe may cause deja vu
feelings.

Deja vu is very difficult to study for several reasons. First, there
are no animal models by which to study this phenomenon. Second, it is
very difficult to cause feelings of deja vu and it is very difficult
to study deja vu in a controlled laboratory situation. Furthermore, it
may be that the mechanisms of deja vu in normal people are different
than those in people with epilepsy.

It appears that there may be psychological factors (for example,
stress) that may start deja vu experiences. However, deja vu is not
uncommon, and it alone should not be taken as a sign of disease. For
more information, see:

*******************

Eric also provided some links on the topic that I can't paste in here
directly. I'll put them on the page for the next show.

Again - I apologize for the slow response.

Dr. Cannon