Transient global amnesia: perplexing to patient and physician alike.

Transient global amnesia is a benign condition in which an isolated episode of amnesia occurs and then clears completely. No loss of motor or sensory function occurs and patients are not aphasic during the episodes. Neurologic workup is not likely to reveal any specific cause. It is necessary to eliminate treatable causes of transient ischemic attacks and also to rule out seizure disorders and brain tumors as a cause of this often unrecognized phenomenon. Cerebrovascular disease is often postulated as the underlying mechanism.