Transient global amnesia. When memory temporarily disappears.

Transient global amnesia is a benign condition of sudden onset that resolves spontaneously. Retrograde amnesia prevents recall of events antedating the episode by hours to years, and anterograde amnesia produces the characteristic features of inability to learn new material and repetitious questioning. Laboratory investigation of these patients is generally unrewarding. Transient global amnesia is easily distinguished from amnesia caused by head trauma or transient ischemic attack, confusional state, and functional amnesia. Although transient global amnesia is most likely caused by transient ischemia of brain structures important for memory, thromboembolic cerebrovascular disease is not the cause. The patient with transient global amnesia should be treated conservatively.