Recurrence is relatively low but it may be increased in those with certain prior conditions such as head injury or psychological disorders ( Tynas and Panegyres, 2020). Gender differences in these precipitating incidents vary according to different studies, but men tend to have physical stress, while women are more likely to experience emotional turmoil prior to attacks ( Quinette et al., 2006).

A large proportion of TGA cases are preceded by stressful events which may be emotional or physical ( Fisher, 1982). It typically occurs in middle-aged to elderly populations ( Arena and Rabinstein, 2015). Transient global amnesia (TGA) is an episodic memory disorder that affects the hippocampus ( Eustache et al., 1999). Thus, by deeply delving into the anatomic and electrophysiological properties of the CNS, the CSD-TGA model may render insights into the basic pathophysiology behind the façade of the enigmatic clinical presentation. Corresponding evidence regarding hemodynamic and morphological changes from TGA and CSD have been accumulated separately, but the resemblance between the two has not been systematically explored so far, which is surprising especially considering that CSD had been confirmed to cause secondary damage in the human brain. Being a regional phenomenon, CSD seems to affect every aspect of the micro-mechanism in maintaining the homeostasis of the central nervous system (CNS). Cortical spreading depression (CSD) was proposed as a possible cause decades ago. The prevalence of stressful events before a TGA attack makes it hard to overlook these precipitating factors, given that stress has the potential to organically effect the brain. Transient global amnesia (TGA) is a benign memory disorder with etiologies that have been debated for a long time. 2Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.1Department of Neurology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China.

Causes of temporary amnesia