Transient global amnesia with transient anosmia: a curious case suggestive of middle cerebral artery occlusion.

BACKGROUND

Transient global amnesia (TGA) is an enigmatic amnestic syndrome and affects people in middle or older age. During an episode of TGA, a person is not able to make new memories, which indicates hippocampal damage. The symptom anosmia may be associated with memory impairment.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 70-year-old woman presented to our emergency room with transient spatial memory loss. She also complained of a sudden loss of smell. Magnetic resonance angiography confirmed occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery.

DISCUSSION AND

CONCLUSION

The mechanism causing the transient anosmia may have resulted in a transient loss of hippocampal function, resulting in amnesia. This rare case is consistent with recent research showing that olfaction has developed as a navigation system.