What causes déjà vu?

Déjà vu is the strange feeling that you have already experienced a moment, even though it’s happening for the first time. Scientists believe it results from temporary miscommunication in the brain’s memory system. One theory suggests that déjà vu occurs when the brain processes new information too quickly, making it feel like a past memory. Another theory links it to the hippocampus, which may briefly mistake a current event for a stored memory. Some researchers also believe it happens due to small delays in neural signals, creating a sense of familiarity. While déjà vu is common and harmless, frequent episodes could be linked to neurological conditions like temporal lobe epilepsy.