Michaela Rand, BA, MA Medical Student University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine Irvine, California
Angela Hu, MD PGY-2 Psychiatry Resident Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior University of California, Irvine Irvine, California
Jody Rawles, MD Clinical Professor & Executive Vice Chair Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior University of California, Irvine Irvine, California
Disclosures The authors report no financial relationships with any companies whose products are mentioned in this article, or with manufacturers of competing products.
TGA does not increase the risk of cerebrovascular events. There is controversy regarding a potentially increased risk for dementia as well as epilepsy, though there is insufficient evidence to support these findings.23,40
CASE CONTINUED
Five hours after the onset of Ms. A’s symptoms, the treatment team initiates oral lorazepam 1 mg. One hour after taking lorazepam, Ms. A’s anterograde and retrograde amnesia improve. She cannot recall why she was brought to the hospital but does remember the date and location, which she was not able to do on initial presentation. She feels safe, states a clear plan for self-care, and is discharged in the care of her partner. Though Ms. A’s memory improved soon after she received lorazepam, this improvement also could be attributed to the natural course of time, as TGA tends to resolve on its own within 24 hours.
Bottom Line
Transient global amnesia (TGA) is an episode of anterograde, and possibly retrograde, amnesia that lasts up to 24 hours. It represents an interesting diagnosis at the intersection of psychiatry and neurology. TGA has many established psychiatric risk factors and features—some of which may resemble conversion disorder—but these may only apply to a particular subset of patients, which reflects the heterogeneity of the condition.
Related Resources
Sparaco M, Pascarella R, Muccio CF, et al. Forgetting the unforgettable: transient global amnesia part I: pathophysiology and etiology. J Clin Med. 2022;11(12): 3373. doi:10.3390/jcm1112337
Sparaco M, Pascarella R, Muccio CF, et al. Forgetting the unforgettable: transient global amnesia part II: a clinical road map. J Clin Med. 2022;11(14):3940. doi:10.3390/ jcm11143940
