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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffTransient global amnesia is a sudden, temporary episode of memory loss that can't be attributed to a more common neurological condition, such as epilepsy or stroke.
During an episode of transient global amnesia, your recall of recent events simply vanishes, so you can't remember where you are or how you got there. You may also draw a blank when asked to remember things that happened a day, a month or even a year ago. With transient global amnesia, you do remember who you are, and recognize the people you know well, but that doesn't make your memory loss less disturbing.
Fortunately, transient global amnesia is rare, seemingly harmless and unlikely to happen again. Episodes are usually short-lived, and afterward your memory is fine.
- Davis PH. Transient global amnesia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 7, 2011.
- Ropper AH, et al. Dementia and the amnesic (Korsakoff) syndrome with comments on the neurology of intelligence and memory. In: Ropper AH, et al. Adams and Victor's Principles of Neurology. 9th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies. 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=3633470. Accessed May 9, 2011.
- Bartsch T. Transient global amnesia: Functional anatomy and clinical applications. The Lancet. 2010;9:205.
- Amnesias. The Merck Manuals: Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/sec16/ch210/ch210c.html. Accessed May 8, 2011.
- Kirshner HS. Approaches to intellectual and memory impairments. In: Bradley WG, et al. Neurology in Clinical Practice. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier. 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?sid=1157892467&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7506-7525-3..50008-X&isbn=978-0-7506-7525-3&uniqId=243694923-5. Accessed May 11, 2011.
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