DENSE AMNESIA IN A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN FOLLOWING HERPES-SIMPLEX VIRUS ENCEPHALITIS

We describe the memory functioning of C, a professional musician who b ecame amnesic following herpes simplex encephalitis in 1985. Although transient amnesia in a professional musician has previously been descr ibed, this is the first reported case of chronic amnesia in a highly t alented professional musician. C is unusual in three respects. First, his amnesia is particularly severe. Second, his amnesia includes seman tic as well as episodic memory deficits. Third, he believes he has jus t woken up and his preoccupation with this state of 'just wakening' ha s persisted for over 9 years. This appears to be the result of a delus ion rather than the consequence of his amnesia.