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Déjà vu---Been There, Done That (August 4, 2006, Two)

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Program Summary

Almost everyone has experienced déjà vu, that eerie feeling of having already heard, seen, or done the exact same thing even though you're know you haven't (or have you?) The phrase is French for "seen before," and it describes a little-understood phenomenon in brain activity that, for the most part, is harmless and kind of amusing.

For some, however, the phenomenon is not funny at all. These people suffer from déjà vecu ("already lived"), an intensified form of déjà vu in which patients are convinced that they have already experienced whatever is going on at that moment. They think they've already seen that TV show or read that book or met that person or eaten that food, and no one can tell them otherwise. They refuse to believe that it hasn't all happened before, and some people will even go so far as to invent facts that prove or explain their beliefs.

What has gone so wrong with their brains? Researchers don't have a good answer. It is theorized that déjà vu originates in the temporal lobe, where the brain will scan an experience for any matching memories and send a message to the part of the organ that stores those memories. Déjà vu is an occasional misidentification, while déjà vecu seems to be a dramatic defect in the brain's wiring. Ira's guest has managed to reproduce déjà vu through hypnosis, but until the process is better understood, there isn't much help for those sufferers who think they've already been there, done that, got the T-shirt.

Guests

Chris Moulin
Neuropsychologist
University of Leeds
Leeds, England, UK

Related Links and Resources

Howstuffworks.com: "What is déjà vu?"
ABC News, July 27, 2005: Study Re-Creates Deja Vu All Over Again
BBC New, July 21, 2006: Déjà vu 'recreated in laboratory'

For Discussion:

• What is the difference between déjà vu and déjà vecu? What do these two phrases mean?

• What is the theory on how déjà vu is created? What may happen in the brains of déjà vecu sufferers?

• Why do déjà vecu patients withdraw from life? Is there any remedy for this condition? Why not?

• Have you ever experienced déjà vu? Were you convinced that what you were seeing, hearing or doing was a repeat? How did this disconnect make you feel?

Activities

Yesterday's news. Neuroscience for Kids offers a very brief explanation of déjà vu. This site is an excellent source of information on all aspects of the brain and nervous system.

Mind games. Read Dr. Moulin's Blog, where he has a discussion of déjà vu and déjà vecu, as well as jamais vu ("never seen"), a phenomenon in which you are convinced that you have never experienced something, even though you have. At Dr. Moulin's website you'll find case histories, frequently asked questions, a research questionnaire and a poll. At The Memory Experience, a BBC website, people who have experienced déjà vu post their own comments. Also at this website are tips and techniques for improving memory and the opportunity to take part in a memory research project by submitting your own memories online.

Memories...from the corners of our minds. Check out NBC Nightly News Interactive Quiz: Memory, which demonstrates the tricks our minds can play on us when we're trying to memorize lists. The Explanation of Results provides insight into why this happens.

Don't forget to check out these memorable Science Friday Kids' Connection pages:
Making False Memories (February 4, 2005, Hour Two)
September 24, 2004, Hour One: Making Memories
June 11, 2004, Hour One: The Sleepy Brain
Oliver Sacks, Music, and Memory (December 30, 2005, Hour Two)
Science Friday Kids Connection, February 9, 2001: Hour Two: Learning and Dreaming

Use the search box below to perform a Google search within any of the specifc sites or general domains mentioned in this Activities section.

Hear the Program

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