Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
transient global amnesia
References
Britannica AI Icon

transient global amnesia

psychology
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

Transient global amnesia (TGA) is a temporary memory disorder characterized by a sudden, complete loss of memory that can last from a few seconds to several hours, typically not exceeding 24 hours. During an episode, individuals are unable to form new memories (anterograde amnesia) and may also experience a loss of memories from the period immediately preceding the event (retrograde amnesia).12

While consciousness and other cognitive functions remain intact, the person is left with a persistent gap in memory for the duration of the attack and a short period before it. The underlying cause of TGA is not fully understood but may involve temporary reductions in blood supply to certain brain areas or seizure activity. Short-term memory is generally unaffected, meaning individuals can still process immediate information.23

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
3 Britannica Sources
  1. amnesia
  2. memory disorder - Transient global amnesia
  3. memory disorder - Short-term memory

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.