ABSTRACT
Research into temporal lobe epilepsy has delivered the largest scientific literature of deja vu. This is partly because there is a clinical significance to the experience of deja vu; it can be a useful diagnostic entity. This chapter examines single cases, neuroimaging and questionnaire work, and focuses on studies of direct electrical stimulation of the cortex, where deja vu has been provoked artificially in patients. It addresses a key theme whether the organisation of the temporal lobe memory system and the experiences of people with deja vu can enable the separation or classification of deja vu experiences. One might expect, then, that deja vu is experienced more commonly in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) than in the normal population. Several researchers have examined the incidence and nature of deja experiences in epilepsy compared to healthy participants. A key clinical issue is whether there is any diagnostic value to the frequency or nature of deja vu in TLE.
