| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS | REGISTER |
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||
a University of Cambridge Neurology Unit, b Department of Clinical
Neurophysiology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge, UK, c MRC Applied Psychology Unit, 15 Chaucer
Rd, Cambridge, UK
Correspondence to: Professor J R Hodges, MRC Applied Psychology Unit, 15 Chaucer Rd,Cambridge CB2 2QQ, UK. Telephone 0044 1223 245151; fax: 0044 1223 336941.
Received 30 April 1997 and in revised form 21 July 1997;
Accepted 29 July 1997
OBJECTIVES
To clarify the clinical and
neuropsychological aspects of transient epileptic amnesia (TEA) based
on 10 personally studied cases as well as review of 21 previously
published cases; and to propose tentative diagnostic criteria for the
diagnosis of TEA.
METHODSAll 10 patients and informants underwent a
standardised clinical interview. The radiological and
neurophysiological (EEG) data were also reviewed in all cases. The
diagnosis of transient epileptic amnesia was made on the basis of the
following criteria: (1) there was a history of recurrent witnessed
episodes of transient amnesia; (2) cognitive functions other than
memory were judged to be intact during typical episodes by a reliable
witness; (3) there was evidence for a diagnosis of epilepsy. This
evidence was provided by either (a) wake or sleep EEG, or
(b) the co-occurrence of other seizure types (if their
roughly concurrent onset or close association with episodes of
transient amnesia suggested a connection), or (c) a clear
cut response to anticonvulsant therapy, or by a combination of these
three factors. In addition all patients were administered a
comprehensive neuropsychological test battery designed to assess verbal
and non-verbal anterograde memory and retrograde memory for famous
personalities and personal events. Their results were compared with
those of 25 age and IQ matched normal controls.
RESULTSTEA usually begins in later life, with a
mean age of 65 years in this series. Episodes are typically brief,
lasting less than one hour, and recurrent, with a mean frequency of
three a year. Attacks on waking are characteristic. Repetitive
questioning occurs commonly during attacks. The anterograde amnesia
during episodes is, however, often incomplete so that patients may
later be able to "remember not being able to remember". The extent
of the retrograde amnesia during attacks varies from days to years.
Most patients experience other seizure types compatible with an origin
in the temporal lobes, but transient amnesia is the only manifestation of epilepsy in about one third of patients. Epileptiform abnormalities arising from the temporal lobes are most often detected on interictal sleep EEG. Despite normal performance on tests of anterograde memory,
many patients complain of persistent interictal disturbance of
autobiographical memory, involving a significant but variable loss of
recall for salient personal episodes. The epochs affected may predate
the onset of epilepsy by many years.
CONCLUSIONSTEA is an identifiable syndrome and
comprises episodic transient amnesia with an epileptic basis, without
impairment of other aspects of cognitive function. Future studies
should consider the question of whether TEA reflects ictal activity or
a postictal state, and the mechanism of the persistent autobiographical
amnesia. It is hypothesised that the latter may result in part from
impairment of very long term memory consolidation as a result of
epileptic activity in mesial temporal structures.
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  C. R Butler Transient epileptic amnesia Practical Neurology, December 1, 2006; 6(6): 368 - 371. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 F Manes, K S Graham, A Zeman, M de Lujan Calcagno, and J R Hodges Autobiographical amnesia and accelerated forgetting in transient epileptic amnesia J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, October 1, 2005; 76(10): 1387 - 1391. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 R. J. Bortolon, M. R. Weglinski, and J. Sprung Transient Global Amnesia After General Anesthesia Anesth. Analg., September 1, 2005; 101(3): 916 - 919. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 G. Bauer, Th. Benke, I. Unterberger, E. Schmutzhard, E. Trinka, and D.J.P. McCorry Transient global amnesia or transient epileptic amnesia? QJM, May 1, 2005; 98(5): 383 - 384. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
C Butler and A Z J Zeman Neurological syndromes which can be mistaken for psychiatric conditions J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, March 1, 2005; 76(suppl_1): i31 - i38. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A. Zeman Tales from the Temporal Lobes N. Engl. J. Med., January 13, 2005; 352(2): 119 - 121. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. Janszky, I. Ollech, H. Jokeit, K. Kontopoulou, M. Mertens, B. Pohlmann-Eden, A. Ebner, and F. G. Woermann Epileptic activity influences the lateralization of mesiotemporal fMRI activity Neurology, November 23, 2004; 63(10): 1813 - 1817. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 N. Kapur and M. Prevett Unexpected amnesia: are there lessons to be learned from cases of amnesia following unilateral temporal lobe surgery? Brain, December 1, 2003; 126(12): 2573 - 2585. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. Lux, M. Kurthen, C. Helmstaedter, W. Hartje, M. Reuber, and C. E. Elger The localizing value of ictal consciousness and its constituent functions: A video-EEG study in patients with focal epilepsy Brain, December 1, 2002; 125(12): 2691 - 2698. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. D. Kopelman Disorders of memory Brain, October 1, 2002; 125(10): 2152 - 2190. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
F E Chukwudelunzu, J F Meschia, N R Graff-Radford, and J A Lucas Extensive metabolic and neuropsychological abnormalities associated with discrete infarction of the genu of the internal capsule J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, November 1, 2001; 71(5): 658 - 662. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
H. Jokeit, M. Daamen, H. Zang, J. Janszky, and A. Ebner Seizures accelerate forgetting in patients with left-sided temporal lobe epilepsy Neurology, July 10, 2001; 57(1): 125 - 126. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
F. Manes, J. R. Hodges, K. S. Graham, and A. Zeman Focal autobiographical amnesia in association with transient epileptic amnesia Brain, March 1, 2001; 124(3): 499 - 509. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
P. Berlit Successful prophylaxis of recurrent transient global amnesia with metoprolol Neurology, December 26, 2000; 55(12): 1937 - 1938. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. V. Blake, S. J. Wroe, E. K. Breen, and R. A. McCarthy Accelerated forgetting in patients with epilepsy: Evidence for an impairment in memory consolidation Brain, March 1, 2000; 123(3): 472 - 483. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS | REGISTER |
