Amnesia is a memory disorder in which a person has difficulty recalling past events and/or forming or keeping new memories. It can be a symptom of a psychological or neurological health condition. Rarely, it can occur spontaneously with no apparent cause.
Our neurologists provide expert evaluation and diagnostic care to look for the cause of your amnesia, as well as cognitive rehabilitation treatment to help you manage your condition.
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What Is Amnesia?
Amnesia is a memory disorder in which a person has major difficulty recalling past events and/or forming or keeping new memories. It can be a symptom of a psychological or neurological health condition. Rarely, it can occur spontaneously with no apparent cause.
What are the types of amnesia?
There are two main types of amnesia, including:
- Anterograde amnesia — Occurs when you are unable to form new memories but can remember things from before your amnesia started.
- Retrograde amnesia — Occurs when you can’t recall events in the past.
Other types of amnesia include:
- Dissociative amnesia — Caused by psychological distress, such as abuse or a traumatic event.
- Infantile amnesia — Causes you to forget things from when you were a baby and occurs in almost everyone.
- Post-traumatic amnesia — Occurs after an injury or accident.
- Transient global amnesia (TGA) — Rare condition causing sudden anterograde and retrograde amnesia that lasts less than 24 hours.
How common is amnesia?
Amnesia that occurs without another cause is extremely rare. However, it is a common symptom of other neurological or psychological health conditions.
Research shows TGA affects between three and 10 people per 100,000 in the U.S., with a higher incidence in people over age 50.
What causes amnesia?
In most cases, amnesia is caused by a neurological or psychological condition.
Neurological causes
Any neurological condition that disrupts activity in the brain can cause amnesia, such as:
- Brain damage caused by lack of oxygen (cerebral hypoxia).
- Brain tumors.
- Cerebrovascular problems, such as brain aneurysm or stroke.
- Dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease or frontotemporal dementia.
- Epilepsy and seizures.
- Excessive alcohol use.
- Head injury.
- Medications, such as sedatives or anesthesia.
- Poisoning from carbon monoxide, heavy metals, or other toxins.
- Recreational drug use.
Psychological causes
Amnesia can be caused by dissociative disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), often resulting from a traumatic event or severe mental or emotional distress.
Amnesia risk factors
You may not be able to control most risk factors for amnesia. However, amnesia is most common in adults aged 50 and older.
Complications of amnesia
Complications of amnesia depend on the underlying cause of your condition and whether it is treatable — such as a brain tumor — or progressive, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Complications may also be different if your amnesia has a neurological or psychological cause. Your doctor will discuss your prognosis and potential complications with you.
How can I prevent amnesia?
You may not be able to prevent amnesia, but you can take steps to reduce your risk, including:
- Eat a healthy diet.
- Get plenty of restful sleep.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Manage stress and take time to relax.
- Quit smoking.
- Socialize and stay mentally active.
- Treat or manage all health conditions that could affect your brain.
- Wear a helmet during activities that may increase your risk of head injury.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Amnesia?
Amnesia involves serious difficulty forming new memories or recalling past information. It often affects the ability to recall recent events while leaving older or deeply learned memories intact. Unlike dementia — which involves broader thinking and daily‑function problems — amnesia mainly impacts memory, leaving intelligence, personality, language, and skills largely unaffected.
What happens if you get amnesia?
If you get amnesia, you may lose your ability to remember past or recent events. You may also lose the ability to form new memories. Additionally, you may experience:
- Confusion.
- Disorientation.
- Invented, misplaced, or false memories.
- Wandering.
How long does amnesia usually last?
Episodes of TGA last less than 24 hours. Other types of amnesia improve after the underlying cause is successfully treated. However, some cases of amnesia may be permanent.
When should I see a doctor about my amnesia symptoms?
If you have sudden amnesia, especially if it happens with no obvious cause, you should schedule an appointment with your doctor right away. If your amnesia is accompanied by severe symptoms or occurs after a head injury, you should go to the nearest hospital Emergency Department or dial 911.
How Do You Diagnose Amnesia?
To diagnose amnesia, your doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms, your life, and current events, and may speak to your loved ones about your condition. Your doctor may also order tests to find the underlying cause of your amnesia.
What to expect during your visit
During your visit, your doctor will:
- Ask you about your symptoms.
- Ask you questions to test your memory, such as details about your life and current events.
- Order tests to find the underlying cause of your amnesia.
- Perform a physical and neurological exam.
- Speak to your loved ones to better understand your condition, if needed.
Tests to diagnose amnesia
Tests to diagnose amnesia may include:
- Blood tests — Checks for signs of infection or other problems.
- CT or MRI scans — Check for abnormalities in your brain.
- Electroencephalogram (EEG) — Checks for abnormal electrical activity in your brain that may cause seizures.
- Neuropsychological testing — Tests your ability to think, reason, and remember.
- Spinal tap — Looks for signs of infection or other problems in your cerebrospinal fluid.
How Do You Treat Amnesia?
There is no specific treatment for amnesia. However, treating the underlying cause may reverse amnesia symptoms. In some cases, your memory may return on its own without treatment. In other cases, you may receive treatment to delay the progression of memory loss.
Certain medications and infusions may assist with memory loss, as well as therapies, including:
- Cognitive rehabilitation — Uses therapeutic techniques to improve thinking, memory, attention, reasoning, and problem-solving.
- Occupational therapy — Helps you develop strategies to cope with memory loss and learn new ways to perform everyday tasks.
Can you regain memory after amnesia?
It is possible to regain memory after amnesia. In some cases, your brain and memory will recover on their own. Loved ones can also help you regain memories as you recover. In other cases, your provider will discuss the prognosis for regaining memory.
Why Choose UPMC for Amnesia Care?
When you choose UPMC for amnesia care, you will receive:
- Access to world-class neurology expertise — Our world-renowned experts treat the full spectrum of neurological conditions using the latest diagnostic and treatment techniques.
- A full range of treatment options — We offer nonsurgical care and noninvasive, minimally invasive, and traditional open surgical procedures to treat underlying conditions that cause amnesia. We also offer cognitive rehabilitation and occupational therapy care to help manage symptoms.
- Multidisciplinary care — Our neurologists, rehabilitation specialists, and other medical experts collaborate to provide comprehensive care that optimizes your recovery and quality of life.
