![]() ![]() A history of amnesia lasting less than one hour is suspicious of an epileptic disorder. ![]() There is no peripheral neurological deficit. Most episodes do not exceed 10 hours although up to 24 hours has been reported. The mean amnesia duration is ~ 6 hours although complete recovery of subtle functions may take months. In about 50 % (33 – 84%) of cases there is no precipitating factor identified. Typically, the disorder occurs following a physically demanding task (28 %), coitus (6.5%), emotional stress (6.5 %), hot or cold bath / shower (5 %), driving or a medical procedure. It is commoner in middle aged and older people. Antiepileptic treatment⁴ has been shown to control both seizures and interictal memory disturbances.This condition is a transient loss of memory. These include accelerated long-term forgetting, autobiographical amnesia (inability to recall personal memories), and topographical amnesia (difficulty recognizing familiar locations). The condition has been linked to a group of persistent interictal (between seizures) memory complaints. While some people only experience amnesia, other manifestations in addition to amnesia include olfactory hallucinations, brief loss of awareness, automatisms (for example, lip-smacking), and, very rarely, tonic-clonic seizures. The condition is marked by amnestic seizures³ that typically last 15-30 minutes and occur approximately once per month. Transient epileptic amnesiaĪ distinctive epileptic syndrome typically occurs in late middle age, transient epileptic amnesia is often mistaken for dementia, cerebrovascular disease, or transient global amnesia. Seizures that affect the mesial temporal lobes (specifically the hippocampi) have been found to interfere with the consolidation, retention, and recall of previously learned information. Seizures affecting the lateral temporal lobes have been linked to deficits in learning new material and some deterioration of working memory. Research² suggests that the part of the temporal lobe affected by seizures plays a role in how memory systems are impacted. Temporal lobe epilepsy has been found to impair episodic, semantic, and autobiographical memory. What types of epilepsy cause memory loss? Temporal lobe epilepsyīecause the temporal lobe plays a fundamental role in the formation, retention, and retrieval of memories, people with epilepsy often experience long-term memory deficits. If seizures originate in or affect these areas of your brain, you may have difficulty accessing or understanding certain words. Seizures that affect this part of the brain can make it more difficult for you to store and retrieve information, even if the areas of the brain that usually store the information are unaffected.Ĭertain areas of the brain, namely Broca’s area, and Wernicke’s area, are responsible for speech and language. When you need that information again, the hippocampus goes to fetch it for you. It receives new information, and if it seems valuable, it sends it off to the relevant area of the brain for long-term storage. This part of the brain is a bit like a highly efficient receptionist. Because seizures can affect different parts and functions of the brain, they don’t all appear the same or have the same long-term consequences. Seizures can either be generalized (affecting both sides of the brain) or focal (located or beginning in one small part of the brain). Why does the location of the seizure matter?
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