What is "jamais vu?"
BOSTON - While you have heard of "deja vu," there is a similar phenomenon called "jamais vu."
With deja vu, you see or experience something that you feel like you've seen or experienced before, but you haven't. With jamais vu, which means "never seen" in French, a familiar experience all of a sudden feels new.
One example is when you write down a word that you've written your entire life and all of a sudden you wonder whether you spelled it correctly. It's still not clear why we sometimes experience this psychological oddity, but it may be due to a temporary disruption in the brain pathways that link perception and memory. Or it could be caused by stress, fatigue, or an imbalance in brain chemicals.
Jamais vu is usually harmless, but if it isn't fleeting or occurs frequently, you may need a neurological work-up.