TRANSIENT GLOBAL AMNESIA Blogger:Being Sane Takes Too Much Work

Transient global amnesia is a well-described medical and clinical phenomenon.  With this type of amnesia, there is temporary impairment in an otherwise healthy person's memory  During this period, the person is unable to recall abilities, distant memories, attention span, language function and social skills.  Symptoms typically last for less than a day and there is often no clear precipitating factor or any other neurological deficits.  The person is often confused by the environment and people that are around.  The experience is frightening.  Some victims experience headache, dizziness and nausea along with memory loss.  Once recovered, the individuals are able to remember what occurred during the memory loss.  TGA generally affects 50 to 85 year-old-men.  The causes of TGA remain controversial.  Emotional stress, strenuous physical exertion, transient ischemic attack (mini stroke) and basilar artery migraine are believed to be some of the causes.  TGA is distinct in that abnormalities in the hippocampus (region of the brain that is associated primarily with memory forming, organizing and storing) can sometimes be visualized using a specific form of  MRI of the brain.  It is known as diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI).  Because some believe this syndrome happens because of transient reduced blood flow, doctors recommend aspirins to increase blood flow.  This is based on some claims that a reduced blood flow causes memory loss.  Patients only forget a few minutes of the amnesia events, immediate recall is usually preserved.