What Causes Deja Vu and How Does It Work?

[matthyaouw]

I see. Thanks! :)

 

[zoobyshoe]

I see. Thanks! :)

Actually, I just realized I could take a pic of the EEG of a deja vu and post it:

This guy has depth electrodes implanted right into various parts of his limbic system through holes drilled in his skull in an attempt to locate his seizure focus prior to epilepsy surgury.
This is from a paper called The Role Of The Limbic Sysytem in Experiential Phenomena of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy by Pierre Gloor, et. al. Annals of Neurology, Vol12 No2 August 1982

 

[Mk]

The hippocampus is a major contributor to memory, and performs some vital function in the storage and retrieval of memories. When it gets a power surge like this it creates the false impression that the present is a memory, when it isn't.

Could this be linked to how one eats? Or the architecture of one's brain. Are all of our brains' architecture the same?

 

[zoobyshoe]

Could this be linked to how one eats? Or the architecture of one's brain. Are all of our brains' architecture the same?

It's not a normal function. It means something is off, not working properly. Could be chemical, from diet, stress, lack of sleep, etc, or could be from hippocampal sclerosis, or other damage.

 

[x.s.a.n.d.r.a.x]

Deja vue Question! please answer

So I experience "dejavues" quite a lot. expecially when I am over tired or stressed out. When I have a dejavue however, i go into this dream like state and nothing feels real, i will have a vision or feeling of a dejavue i have had before or even a dream. its hard to explain. and when the dejavue is done I can NEVER remember what it was about or what happened. i will usually loose some of my memory of my day. and i also tend to have them in my sleep too and when i wake up i feel like I am in a dream for the rest of the day. Also when you have a dejavue, do u become very nauseous and sick to your stomach, dizzy and tired..and then when its done a very bad headache?

 

[Moonbear]

So I experience "dejavues" quite a lot. expecially when I am over tired or stressed out. When I have a dejavue however, i go into this dream like state and nothing feels real, i will have a vision or feeling of a dejavue i have had before or even a dream. its hard to explain. and when the dejavue is done I can NEVER remember what it was about or what happened. i will usually loose some of my memory of my day. and i also tend to have them in my sleep too and when i wake up i feel like I am in a dream for the rest of the day. Also when you have a dejavue, do u become very nauseous and sick to your stomach, dizzy and tired..and then when its done a very bad headache?

As explained above, deja vu is a symptom, not the illness itself. You need to discuss all of your symptoms that you just described here with your personal physician. Memory loss, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, headache, etc., are symptoms that should not be dismissed, and could indicate a serious health problem. Please contact your physician promptly. If you experience the symptoms again before you can get to a scheduled appointment, you should seek emergency treatment...the best chance of making a definitive diagnosis will be to have an examination while experiencing the symptoms you're describing.

 

[x.s.a.n.d.r.a.x]

Do you think that having these dejavues are effecting my memory or even resulting in memory loss? I've been having these really bad dejavues for quite a while but they are seeming to get worse eachtime and my memory has been getting very bad.

 

[baywax]

Can somebody explain how and why Deja Vu happens?

Its been speculated that the deja vu occurs because our bodies experience what our brains are already aware of. There may be a time lag between what the brain can predict of the future and what the body is experiencing.

The mechanics of it would look like this: our subconscious is capable of calculating future events and when the rest of our body experiences the predicted event it seems as though we've already experienced it.

Sorry, there's no reference for this. Its just another take on the cause of the sensation of deja vu.

 

[Moonbear]

Do you think that having these dejavues are effecting my memory or even resulting in memory loss? I've been having these really bad dejavues for quite a while but they are seeming to get worse eachtime and my memory has been getting very bad.

Read the reply I already gave you...deja vu is a symptom, not the disease. The deja vu is not itself causing memory loss, but whatever is causing the deja vu is likely also causing the memory loss. With loss of memory and worsening symptoms, you must see a physician about this ASAP. There could be any number of reasons, from seizure activity in the brain, to an aneurysm or tumor putting pressure on certain brain areas. Only a doctor who has examined you in person can identify the cause of your problems and get you appropriate treatment.

 

[light_bulb]

to me it's like dreams I've had or people and situations I've run into before that seem to repeat themselfs. seemingly random events who's patterns match (run on)what has come before to a point where for a brief second you know the outcome and have the time for quick reflection or comparision with past events.

 

[x.s.a.n.d.r.a.x]

I tend to get a lot of them when I am tired. does that have any thing to do with it? I also just found out that my dad AND brother also get them to. does this mean that they are genetic?

 

[venger]

Actually it could be a coincidence and maybe something you and your family contacted. It could be a toxin that you have injested or your environment is making your brain lucid. What you can do is find something that you your brother and father have in common other than genes. If that fails, then it maybe genetic.

 

[mnelson80]

I was getting a lot of those types of deja vu episodes as well. I started to do some research and recently made that trip to the doctor. She sent to straight to the neurologist. I ended up with a clear MRI and a diagnosis of Complex Migraine with Aura. However, I'm still a little skeptical about this diagnosis as I've had migraines before and I don't seem to be experiencing that feeling. I do get headaches but I don’t feel like they are “MIGRAINES” What worries me are these deja vu episodes. Also after reading many accounts of what different types of migraine auras are like, mine don't sound too much like them. (I know everyone’s are different) I would love to compare experiences with someone who has TLE or Migraines with aura. I would also like to have someone explain to me what the major difference is between the aura and a temporal lobe seizure. (In terms I can actually understand)

I don't see colors or zig zags, or dots or any of that with my déjà vu/aura. It is not actually just a feeling but an actual visual illusion or hallucination and a rapid succession of imagery that causes me, while it’s happening, to try to think, how do I know this, how is it like the last time this happened, how do these images fit together? It’s all very frustrating and moving very fast. Then in a flash the images are gone and I almost feel like I’m going to hyperventilate but instead the left side of my body goes numb. With in a few minutes the tingling goes away and I’m left with only a faint memory of what has happened. I may feel nauseous and tired but am almost obsessed with figuring it out.

Is there anyone with Classic Migraines that can relate to this?

 

[Moonbear]

Did you have the MRI done while experiencing symptoms? MRIs at other times can rule out major structural problems in the brain and/or things like tumors, but if your symptoms are more like those of a migraine, with only transient (short lived) vasoconstriction ("tightening" of the blood vessels), and everything is normal when you are NOT experiencing the migraine/hallucinations, then the MRI would not be able to detect that. If you know of something that triggers these episodes that could be reproduced, repeating the MRI while experiencing an episode would be more informative about what areas of the brain are being affected, and why.

 

[thefosterflop]

Any studies of Deja Vu in correlation to the use of marijuana?

A person I know has been experiencing these sensations at his workplace, where he feels in the present moment that he is repeating a moment that has happened previously, although with different client. They are described almost as flashbacks, maybe hallucinations.

This person uses marijuana, maybe 3-5 times a week, does not drink, or do any other substances.

maybe someone around here can help him out.

 

[wuliheron]

I'm epileptic, and epileptics tend to be prone to spritual experiences more than the norm. It seems that the human brain is hardwired for altered states of consciousness. This comes as no surprise considering that the more intelligent the animal the more often they will deliberately seek out altered states. For example, elephants will pull fruit off trees, stomp on it, and wait for it to ferment before imbibing.

I agree with the others, your symptoms could be a sign of something serious. I would seek out a neurologist immediately.

 

[baywax]

Here's the latest research on déjà vu from the United States of America:

Scientists in the United States say they have discovered a part of the brain responsible for the feeling of déjà vu.
Déjà vu, French for "already seen", is that uncanny feeling that one has witnessed or experienced a new situation previously; it is also called paramnesia.

Déjà vu is usually accompanied by a compelling sense of familiarity, and also a sense of "eeriness", "strangeness", or "weirdness" and the "previous" experience is usually attributed to a dream, although in some cases there is a firm sense that the experience "genuinely happened" in the past.

Déjà vu has often been described as "remembering the future" and is a very common phenomenon experienced by 70% or more of the population at least once.

It has been extremely difficult to create the déjà vu experience in laboratory settings, so few studies have been done on the phenomenon.

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, now say they have discovered the part of the brain that is responsible for déjà vu; they say neurons in the memory centre of the brain called the hippocampus make a mental map of new places and experiences, then store them away for later use.

They believe that déjà vu occurs when two events or places are very similar to each other, overlap and thus the feeling of déjà vu takes place.

Susumu Tonegawa, a professor of biology and neuroscience at the Institute says déjà vu occurs when this ability is challenged, and it is very important for an intelligent animal such as human beings so they are aware of what is going on around them and are then able to recall it later.

For their study, researchers used mice which have similar brain structures to humans.

Half the mice were genetically altered and were missing a gene in a specific part of the hippocampus, the others were healthy and they were trained to differentiate between different locations by giving them a tiny electric shock when they entered a particular spot.

When the mice were transferred from cage to cage they were given the shock in one specific cage; the healthy mice learned to realize which cage posed the dangerous shock, while the other mice were unable to do so.

Tonegawa says since they know the molecular and cellular pathway based on their results, there is a possibility to use those molecular targets to develop a drug to improve this connection.

The research is published in the journal Science.

http://www.news-medical.net/news/2007/06/11/26207.aspx

 

[Proton Soup]

i don't get it. deja vu is a learning disability?

 

[baywax]

i don't get it. deja vu is a learning disability?

Although the article I posted is poorly conveyed I think they're trying to say that there may be some overlapping or free associative neuronal activity taking place in the hippocampus and in the brain that experiences deja vu on a more frequent time scale. They mention "maps" that are made and retained of new experiences and when a "map" resembles a new situation perceived by a person, the feeling that they've "been there" takes place because the stored "map" of an earlier experience resembles the new experience.

It would be like placing a map of Vancouver Washington as an overlay onto a map of Vancouver British Columbia and noticing that the two city names are the same... sort of. Unless the subject pays particular attention to the differences between the stored experience and the one they are entering into, they will feel as though they've already explored this experience or they have a "deja vu".