Definition
As the name suggests, transient global amnesia (TGA) is a temporary disorder of memory function. One speaks of global amnesia when all memory functions have ceased. No new information can be stored; even memories that were stored in the memory years or decades ago are no longer retrievable in global amnesia. This disorder lasts between 1 and 24 hours.
Causes
The cause of transient global amnesia is ultimately not conclusively clarified. Numerous causes are discussed. First and foremost, it is thought that short-term circulatory disorders in the brain stem can trigger the transient memory disorder.
MRI images of affected patients show corresponding abnormalities in these areas. However, it has not been shown that transient global amnesia is a risk factor for stroke. This rather speaks against the hypothesis of a transient circulatory disorder. Therefore, it remains to be seen what further results the research will produce in this regard.
Which drugs cause TGA?
The term transient global amnesia (TGA) stands for a temporary memory disorder that suddenly appears and disappears again without external influences. Of course, certain drugs can also lead to short-term memory loss. In this case, however, one would not speak of a TGA in medical terminology.
A classic example of drugs that cause short-term amnesia are benzodiazepines. These also have an anxiety-relieving effect. Because of these two effects, they are the ideal drugs for preparing an anaesthetic.
Transient global amnesia due to alcohol
Excessive alcohol consumption sometimes leads to a so-called blackout. This memory gap can last several hours. This is also a form of transient amnesia, i.e. the memory recovers over the course of time.
It is very different from which amount of alcohol it comes to amnesia. With chronic alcohol consumption, a so-called Korsakow syndrome (a form of memory disorder) can develop due to vitamin B1 deficiency. The main symptom of this disease is amnesia.
This sometimes exists in a global form, i.e. both experienced events and new content can no longer be retrieved. Often, however, old memory contents are well remembered. However, patients cannot remember newly experienced events. Unconsciously, the patients fill these memory gaps with fantasy content.
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