A man in his 80s gradually began to feel like he was witnessing the same events over and over again – a condition called Groundhog Day Syndrome. Health report published in the journal BMJ Case Reports.
Describing her plight, the patient stated that wherever she went, she met the same people on the side of the road and the same people and cars behind her. The man even complained to the maker of his e-book that he thought he was showing the same material over and over, and contacted a technician that his TV was showing the same news over and over.
This condition, called déjà vecu or Groundhog Day Syndrome, is sometimes seen in neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s, according to a New South Wales medical report. This symptom is reminiscent of the plot of the 1993 movie Groundhog Day, in which the main character relives the same day over and over.
Deja vu is different from the more familiar deja vu. While déjà vu people describe a fleeting emotion, déjà vu is the persistent perception that new facts are repetitions of previous experiences. According to the report’s authors, people with déjà vecu often do not understand their condition and develop inhibitory, delusional-like false beliefs and behaviors to justify their abnormal perceptions.
The exact cause of mood swings remains unclear, but some have suggested that dysfunction of the hippocampus, the part of the brain that helps turn short-term memories into long-term memories, may be a cause.
The man’s brain scan revealed unusually low activity in the left temporal lobe and frontal lobes, where abnormalities were more pronounced on the right than on the left. They also found that levels of the protein amyloid beta-42 in the cerebrospinal fluid decreased and tau levels increased, suggesting Alzheimer’s disease.
Four years after the onset of symptoms, the man’s performance on cognitive tests worsened, but he continued to live at home and support his own household.