Pathophysiology of Déjà Vu and Reminiscences in Epilepsy

Illusions of inappriopriate familiarity with the current experience or hallucinatory recall of memories have been reported in temporal lobe epilepsies. Pathophysiological hypotheses have been put forward, involving either the limbic regions of the temporal lobe (Jackson), the temporal neocortex ("interpretive cortex", Penfield), or both (Bancaud). New data, acquired in the course of presurgical investigations through intracerebral electrodes recording, demonstrate a critical role of the suband para-hippocampal cortices. A new hypothesis of corticolimbic network is developed. Déjà Vu would result from an abnormal synchronisation between rhinal cortices and hippocampus, and reminiscences (or "dreamy state") from exacerbation of associational function of hippocampus in re-assembling pieces of past experience cortical networks.