Is there a word that's the OPPOSITE of 'deja vu' ?

[Richard Steele]

The other morning I was driving to work
along the same stretch of interstate highway
that I've been traveling 10 times a week
for the past year, and for about 30 seconds
I had no idea where I was- nothing on either side
of the road was familiar to me.

I thought I had missed my Exit, but then it came up
and the rest of my day was normal.

Is there a word for that?

[petronius]

1. Jamais vu, perhaps?

That's a weird feeling, for sure...

[hippywife]

2. Early onset dementia. ;0) n/t

[Richard Steele]

3. At this point, it's probably not EARLY, if that's what it is.

Lord knows I've done lots of stuff that has messed
with my memory and cognitive functions- I know that,
and I'm used to it. I deal with it every day.

This was DIFFERENT.

[hippywife]

4. I've had that kind of thing happen before, too.

It is a little disorienting there for, like you said, about 30 seconds. :hi:

[ElboRuum]

5. neuroflatulism.

[MorningGlow]

11. LOL better than my crass colloquialism

for the same term. Almost posted, then saw your scientific version. Classay. :thumbsup:

[struggle4progress]

6. "I suddenly awoke from my coma to find myself driving down the highway with no idea

where I'd been or how I got here"?

Why?

Is that something they ask about on the Pennsylvania driver's license test?

[Richard Steele]

17. That actually happens all the time- I'm a serious ALCOHOLIC, you know....

This was DIFFERENT.

[vim876]

7. You should...

...get a neurologist to check you out. It's possible you are having a type of epileptic seizure.

[Heidi]

8. I call it "vuja de."

CMW's mother has it with increasing frequency, especially with regard to where she parked her car.

[Bucky]

14. Oprah calls it "va-jay-jay"

... in honor of Jay Z.

[baldguy]

9. An average Tuesday?

[suninvited]

10. that's a good question

and I have had that happen too. It's like one part of your brain, the one that should be remembering this totally familiar place isn't working, but the part that knows you SHOULD remember where you are is working.

I have had that happen a handful of times in the last couple of years, along with another oddity. I will be somewhere doing something very not extraordinary and I suddenly get a realization that I have no memory of the last thirty or so minutes.

I am 50, and dont drink or do any drugs, so it is definately just something odd going on in my brain, but not often enough to have big concerns with. Yet.

[bif]

12. uv ajed

That's happened to me while driving down my street. My mind is on something else and all of a sudden, the street looks odd. Only lasts about a second. About a month ago I had the strangest experience. I was suffering from extreme jet lag after coming back from europe. I had been up for 30 hours or so. When I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, I couldn't figure out where I was. I told myself, "This is home, everything will look familiar in the morning." And it was.

[Richard Steele]

18. You seem to understand EXACTLY what I'm talking about.

Thank you for sharing your personal experience with me.

[Bucky]

13. Amnesia

One is feeling like you remember something you couldn't possibly be remembering. The other is forgetting things you really ought to keep in mind.

[siligut]

15. A sort of alienation from your environment?

I can get that when I haven't eaten or am stressed, but very tired at the same time. I think it has more to do with neurotransmitters than any structural change. Just go with it, unless you have other symptoms, like headaches or loss of physical sensations.

[madmom]

16. I have had this happen a few times, it is scary.

[Kaleva]

19. It's a quirk in the Matrix programming.