ABSTRACT
This chapter identifies a story, which is both representative of transient epileptic amnesia (TEA) in general and shows the particular and idiosyncratic ways in which these impairments present, and their impact on the lives of those affected. In 2013, a 59-year-old, right-handed aircraft engineer, VA, was referred to the cognitive neurology clinic. He described a two-year history of transient episodes of memory impairment. VA was started on lamotrigine which was increased up to 100mg. He has had no further episodes since commencing treatment in December 2013. TEA is a syndrome of temporal lobe epilepsy in which the principal manifestation of a seizure is a brief episode of amnesia during which other mental functions are predominantly or entirely preserved. A functional imaging study of autobiographical recollection in patients with TEA revealed reduced activation in the posterior right parahippocampal gyrus. The diagnostic criteria for TEA require that cognition should be intact during typical attacks, with the exception of memory impairment.
