This extensively revised second edition provides a comprehensive overview of transient global amnesia (TGA). First, it deals with the history of TGA before moving on to clinical and diagnostic features and differential diagnosis. Subsequent chapters then discuss the investigation and predisposing and precipitating factors for TGA before attempting to synthesise these many strands in order to formulate ideas about the pathogenesis of TGA. Each of the chapters is devoted to a practical and structured overview of the particular topic, with use of case studies to illustrate the material. Based in part on the author's experience of TGA cases over 20 years and in part on a review of the published literature, this book will hopefully enlighten clinicians from a broad range of medical backgrounds on the clinical features, investigation, and pathogenesis of TGA.

Transient Global Amnesia is aimed at any clinician with an interest in, or who encounters patients with, acuteamnesia: neurologists, general physicians, old age psychiatrists, geriatricians, clinical neuropsychologists, and primary care physicians, as well as other professions allied to medicine with similar interests, such as members of memory assessment teams.

History of TGA

Beginnings: Fisher and Adams' first accounts of TGA
"Prehistory" of TGA
After Fisher and Adams
A note on nomenclature
A note on methodology
Summary and recommendations
References
Clinical features, diagnostic criteria, and possible variants of TGA
Clinical features of TGA
TGA archetype
Accompanying neurological symptoms
Time of onset: diurnal
Attack duration
Prognosis, recurrence
Diagnostic criteria of TGA
Essential features and inclusion/exclusion boundaries
Hodges and Warlow's diagnostic criteria
TGA subtypes?
Possible variant forms of TG
Transient topographical amnesia (TTA)
Transient partial verbal amnesia (TPVA)
Transient semantic amnesia
Transient procedural amnesia
Transient retrograde amnesia
Summary and recommendations
References
Differential diagnosis of TGA
Transient ischaemic attack (TIA)
Other forms of cerebrovascular disease
Other vascular pathologies, including angiography
Cardiac disorders
Transient epileptic amnesia (TEA)
Interrelation of TGA and TEA
Transient psychological amnesia (TPA)
Other symptomatic causes of transient amnesia
Migraine
Adverse drug effect
Hypoglycaemia
Traumatic brain (closed head) injury
Alcohol-induced amnesia; Korsakoff syndrome
Fatigue amnesia
Other causes of acute cerebral disorder
Acute confusional state/delirium/toxic-metabolic encephalopathy
Cerebral haemorrhage
Acute brain infection (encephalitis)
Summary and recommendations
References
Investigation and management of TGA
Neuropsychology
Neuropsychological deficits during TGA: memory
"Working memory"
 Anterograde memory
Retrograde memory
Semantic memory
Implicit memory
Spatial memory
Neuropsychological deficits during TGA: other, non-memory, cognitive domains
Language
Visuoperceptual, visuospatial skills
 Executive function
Neuropsychological deficits after TGA
Neuroimaging: structural and functional
Structural neuroimaging
Computed tomography (CT)
Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging
Functional neuroimaging
Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)
Positron emission tomography (PET)
 Functional MRI (fMRI)
MR spectroscopy (MRS)
CT perfusion (CTP) imaging
Neurophysiology Electroencephalography (EEG)
EEG during TGA
Magnetoencephalography (MEG)
 Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
Other investigations
Blood tests
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
Sonography
Arterial
Venous; internal jugular vein valve incompetence
Management
 Driving
Summary and recommendation
References
Prognosis of TGA
Recovery and persisting cognitive deficit
Recurrence
Annual recurrence rate
Recurrent TG
Future risk
Cognitive decline: dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI)
Cognitive decline: progressive aphasia
Stroke
Epilepsy
Summary and recommendations
References
Epidemiology of TGA (1): Possible predisposing factors
Incidence
Time of onset: seasonal
Place of onset: geographical distribution
Patient age
Patient gender
Patient ethnicity
Patient social class
Family history of TGA
 Migraine
Patient personality traits and psychological factors
Vascular risk factors and stroke
Structural brain lesions, including brain tumours
Brain infections
Summary and recommendations
References
Epidemiology of TGA (2): Possible precipitating factors
Emotional stress
Physical effort
Water contact or temperature change
Sexual activity
Pain
Medical procedures
Other possible precipitating factors
Summary and recommendations
References
Aetiopathogenesis of TGA
Cerebrovascular changes
Arterial
Venous
Epilepsy
Migraine
 Genetics
Psychiatry
Formulation: neural network models and hypothesis
The future?
Summary
References
Index.