amnesia (transient)

Last edited 05/2022 and last reviewed 05/2022

Clinical syndrome characterized by sudden onset of anterograde amnesia (inability to encode new memories), accompanied by repetitive questioning, sometimes with a retrograde component, lasting up to 24 hours, without compromise of other neurologic functions (1).

Causes include:

  • head injury
  • epilepsy (postictal)
  • cerebrovascular insufficiency
  • Alzheimer's disease - in early disease
  • temporal lobe tumours
  • transient global amnesia

Reference: