<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><sec id="j_joepi-2015-0001_s_001"><h3>Introduction</h3><p>Déjà vu (DV, from French “already seen”) is an aberration of psychic activity associated with transitory erroneous perception of novel circumstances, objects, or people as already known.</p></sec><sec id="j_joepi-2015-0001_s_002"><h3>Aim</h3><p>Investigation of clinical and diagnostic significance of derealization episodes in epilepsy.</p></sec><sec id="j_joepi-2015-0001_s_003"><h3>Materials and methods</h3><p>The study involved 166 individuals (mean age 25.2 ± 9.2 yrs; 63.2% women). DV episodes were characterized and compared in groups of healthy volunteers (n = 139) and epilepsy patients (n = 27). The subjects participated in a survey concerning déjà vu characteristics and in a long-time ambulatory EEG monitoring (12-16 h).</p></sec><sec id="j_joepi-2015-0001_s_004"><h3>Results</h3><p>In epilepsy patients, DV episodes were equally frequent in cryptogenic and symptomatic focal epilepsy, occurred in combination with nearly all types of seizures, and could occur both as an aura and as an individual seizure. The major clinical features distinguishing DV in healthy subjects from DV in epilepsy patients were the frequency and emotional perception of DV episodes, and preceding fear. A critical diagnostic marker is the dynamics of DV characteristics: an increase in frequency and duration, negative emotional background. In EEG, DV episodes in patients began with polyspike activity in the right temporal lobe and, in some cases, ended with slow-wave theta-delta activity in the right hemisphere.</p></sec><sec id="j_joepi-2015-0001_s_005"><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>Our combined clinical and electrophysiological investigation identified two separate DV types: epileptic Déjà Vu characteristic of epilepsy patients and equivalent to an epileptic seizure, and non-epileptic Déjà Vu occurring in healthy individuals, which is basically a psychological phenomenon.</p></sec></abstract>

IntroductionDéjà vu (DV, from French “already seen”) is an aberration of psychic activity associated with transitory erroneous perception of novel circumstances, objects, or people as already known.AimInvestigation of clinical and diagnostic significance of derealization episodes in epilepsy.Materials and methodsThe study involved 166 individuals (mean age 25.2 ± 9.2 yrs; 63.2% women). DV episodes were characterized and compared in groups of healthy volunteers (n = 139) and epilepsy patients (n = 27). The subjects participated in a survey concerning déjà vu characteristics and in a long-time ambulatory EEG monitoring (12-16 h).ResultsIn epilepsy patients, DV episodes were equally frequent in cryptogenic and symptomatic focal epilepsy, occurred in combination with nearly all types of seizures, and could occur both as an aura and as an individual seizure. The major clinical features distinguishing DV in healthy subjects from DV in epilepsy patients were the frequency and emotional perception of DV episodes, and preceding fear. A critical diagnostic marker is the dynamics of DV characteristics: an increase in frequency and duration, negative emotional background. In EEG, DV episodes in patients began with polyspike activity in the right temporal lobe and, in some cases, ended with slow-wave theta-delta activity in the right hemisphere.ConclusionOur combined clinical and electrophysiological investigation identified two separate DV types: epileptic Déjà Vu characteristic of epilepsy patients and equivalent to an epileptic seizure, and non-epileptic Déjà Vu occurring in healthy individuals, which is basically a psychological phenomenon.

EEG characteristics of déjà vu phenomenon

Medical Department of Belgorod State University

Journal of Epileptology

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"EEG characteristics of déjà vu phenomenon"}

IntroductionDéjà vu (DV, from French “already seen”) is an aberration of psychic activity associated with transitory erroneous perception of novel...

EEG characteristics of déjà vu phenomenon

Published Online: Apr 15, 2013

Page range: 27 - 35

Received: Feb 05, 2013

Accepted: Mar 26, 2013

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21307/joepi-2015-0003

Keywords
déjà vu, epilepsy, ambulatory EEG monitoring

© 2013 Alexander V. Chervyakov et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

EEG characteristics of déjà vu phenomenon

Published Online: Apr 15, 2013

Page range: 27 - 35

Received: Feb 05, 2013

Accepted: Mar 26, 2013

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21307/joepi-2015-0003

Keywordsdéjà vu, epilepsy, ambulatory EEG monitoring

© 2013 Alexander V. Chervyakov et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
déjà vu, epilepsy, ambulatory EEG monitoring