Transient global amnesia

Transient global amnesia (TGA) is a neurological disorder whose key defining characteristic is a temporary but almost total disruption of short-term memory with a range of problems accessing older memories. A person in a state of TGA exhibits no other signs of impaired cognitive functioning but recalls only the last few moments of consciousness, as well as possibly a few deeply encoded facts of the individual's past, such as their childhood, family, or home perhaps.

Transient global amnesia
Areas of hypoperfusion, seen above in the left sided hippocampus (seen as white punctate lesions on diffusion weighted MRI) are a characteristic finding in Transient Global Amnesia
SpecialtyNeurology
SymptomsMemory impairment
ComplicationsUsually no long term sequelae
Usual onsetSudden
DurationLess than 24 hours
CausesUnknown
Diagnostic methodClinical diagnosis, imaging may aid in diagnosis
TreatmentReassurance
MedicationNone
PrognosisGood

Both TGA and anterograde amnesia deal with disruptions of short-term memory. However, a TGA episode generally lasts no more than 2 to 8 hours before the patient returns to normal with the ability to form new memories.

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