Brain Advance Access published online on May 2, 2006
Brain, doi:10.1093/brain/awl105
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 Inserm--EPHE--, Université de Caen Basse-Normandie, GIP Cyceron, CHU de Caen, Caen, France
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Since the first reports of transient global amnesia (TGA) were published in 1956, several neuropsychological and functional imaging studies have shed light on different aspects of this neurological syndrome. By establishing diagnostic criteria, Hodges and Warlow (1990b) have made it far easier to identify clinical TGA-related features. However, no comprehensive survey has been yet carried out in order to validate their criteria/findings or provide information about previously unknown features. In the present paper, (i) we review the literature published since Hodges and Warlow's study and seek to characterize the demographic and clinical features of TGA more accurately, (ii) we report 142 personal TGA cases, with supplementary information regarding both episodes and patients, such as precipitating events, associated symptoms and personality, and (iii) we suggest the existence of different groups of TGA patients, on the basis of a hierarchical cluster analysis. This revealed that in women, episodes are mainly associated with an emotional precipitating event, a history of anxiety and a pathological personality. In men, they occur more frequently after a physical precipitating event. In younger patients, a history of headaches may constitute an important risk factor. No link was found with vascular risk factors. The relevance of each of the above-mentioned variables is discussed in the light of our classification. An extensive description of cases from both the literature and our patient population allows us to refine the characterization of clinical TGA features.
Received November 9, 2005
Revised March 14, 2006
Accepted March 27, 2006
Review Article
What does transient global amnesia really mean? Review of the literature and thorough study of 142 cases
Peggy Quinette 1,
Bérengère Guillery-Girard 1,
Jacques Dayan 1,
Vincent de la Sayette 2,
Sophie Marquis 3,
Fausto Viader 2,
Béatrice Desgranges 1,
and
Francis Eustache 1 *
2 Inserm--EPHE--, Université de Caen Basse-Normandie, GIP Cyceron, CHU de Caen, Caen, France; CHU Côte de Nacre, Service de Neurologie Vastel, Caen, France
3 CHU Côte de Nacre, Departement d'Accueil et de Traitement des Urgences, Caen, France
Francis Eustache, E-mail: neuropsycho{at}chu-caen.fr
Abstract 
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  C. R. Butler and A. Z. Zeman Recent insights into the impairment of memory in epilepsy: transient epileptic amnesia, accelerated long-term forgetting and remote memory impairment Brain, September 1, 2008; 131(9): 2243 - 2263. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A. Noel, P. Quinette, B. Guillery-Girard, J. Dayan, P. Piolino, S. Marquis, V. de la Sayette, F. Viader, B. Desgranges, and F. Eustache Psychopathological factors, memory disorders and transient global amnesia The British Journal of Psychiatry, August 1, 2008; 193(2): 145 - 151. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 C. Enzinger, F. Thimary, P. Kapeller, S. Ropele, R. Schmidt, F. Ebner, and F. Fazekas Transient Global Amnesia: Diffusion-Weighted Imaging Lesions and Cerebrovascular Disease Stroke, August 1, 2008; 39(8): 2219 - 2225. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. M. Schott, M. D. Filippo, and P. Calabresi ISCHEMIC BILATERAL HIPPOCAMPAL DYSFUNCTION DURING TRANSIENT GLOBAL AMNESIA Neurology, May 13, 2008; 70(20): 1940 - 1941. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. Harrison and M. Williams The diagnosis and management of transient global amnesia in the emergency department Emerg. Med. J., June 1, 2007; 24(6): 444 - 445. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|