I Could Swear I’ve Read This Post Before
Memory experts are unlocking new clues about deja vu. Neuroscientists at MIT have discovered that deja vu is the equivalent of an optical illusion in one of your brain’s memory circuits. You can thank evolutionary kinks for cognitive confusion such as this.
Memory formulation, storage and use all rely on both pattern recognition and pattern separation. But the brain has different places for different types of memories (which are actually just clumps of brain cells), and - to put it in terms we can all understand - sometimes one (the hippocampus) borrows milk from its neighbor (the neocortex)…and then spills it all over the place.
There’s a particular gene in mice that is responsible for pattern separation, and when it goes haywire, things that are different seem similar. It’s likely that humans possess a similar gene. Your neocortex knows whatever you’re seeing or experiencing is new, but your hippocampus temporarily short-circuits its proper pattern separation, and hence tries to convince your brain you’ve been there, done that.
For the time being, the scientists don’t plan to develop the drug equivalent of a surge strip - deja vu may be unsettling, but it’s not serious. However, this research does hold therapeutic promise for people trying to overcome traumatic associations and memories.
Source: Time
4 opinions for I Could Swear I’ve Read This Post Before
steve
Sep 7, 2007 at 9:20 am
Ah….my inexplicable, romantic notions of having a past life in China–circa the Age of Confucious–are disappearing fast…
I’m still curious to know what may have caused that association, though…I don’t recall watching that much Kung Fu Theatre as a kid.
Shu
Sep 8, 2007 at 11:02 am
Oh man, your new layout is terrible and it’s plain, not in a clean, simple way, but it has become like dead space. The red background with the healthbolt logo was fun, made the blog look well-designed and interesting, and the sidebars were interactive. You’ve just created static all over your page now. All of a sudden this blog is displeasing to the eye, and has become mediocre.
Sara
Sep 8, 2007 at 11:16 am
Shu, believe me, I’m in agreement. B5 has been having technical issues and I’ve put in the appropriate requests. I really appreciate everyone’s patience with the lame-ness.
serena
Sep 11, 2007 at 12:24 pm
Interesting…
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