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Déjà vu phenomenon-related EEG pattern. Case report
P N Vlasov1, A V Chervyakov2, V V Gnezditskii2
1Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, Moscow, Russia.
Background:
Déjà vu (DV, from French déjà vu - "already seen") is an aberration of psychic activity associated with transitory erroneous perception of novel circumstances, objects, or people as already known.
Objective:
This study aimed to record the EEG pattern of déjà vu.
Methods:
The subjects participated in a survey concerning déjà vu characteristics and underwent ambulatory EEG monitoring (12-16 h).
Results:
In patients with epilepsy, DV episodes began with polyspike activity in the right temporal lobe region and, in some cases, ended with slow-wave theta-delta activity over the right hemisphere. There were no epileptic discharges in healthy respondents during DV.
Conclusion:
Two types of déjà vu are suggested to exist: "pathological-epileptic" déjà vu, characteristic of patients with epilepsy and equivalent to an epileptic seizure, and "nonpathological-nonepileptic" déjà vu, which is characteristic of healthy people and psychological phenomenon.
