DIAGNOSTIC VALUE OF THE DEJA VU PHENOMENON IN THE CLINICAL PICTURE OF GLIAL BRAIN TUMORS
In growing glial tumors, epileptic seizures are the first and only symptom of the disease in more than a third of cases. The seizure is commonly characterized by only psychopathological disorders that are frequently ignored by both patients and physicians. The deja vu (DV) phenomenon may be one of such symptoms. Its specific feature is that it occurs in both healthy individuals and patients with various brain pathologies. This investigation was undertaken to study the implication of the DV phenomenon in the clinical picture of glial brain tumors (GBT). One hundred and sixty-one subjects (mean age 29,2±6,4 years; males 47%), including 129 healthy individuals and 32 patients with GBT, were examined. In the clinical picture of GBT with seizures, DV is a common symptom that is encountered in the involvement of predominantly the right temporal lobe and accompanied by generalized convulsive attacks and olfactory hallucinations. DV in GBT occurs more than once daily; its duration is a few (as many as 5) minutes; DV is characterized by a negative emotional tinge and attended by fear