Extensive temporally graded retrograde amnesia for personal - episodic facts in transient global amnesia

Transient global amnesia (TGA) is characterized by an impairment of episodi c memory resulting both in anterograde and retrograde amnesia. Few studies have assessed retrograde amnesia in TGA, Only Evans et al. (Journal of Neur ology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 1993; 56: 1227-30) have distinguished be tween the episodic and semantic components of autobiographical memory, sugg esting a disturbance of autobiographical incident recollection, A patient w as tested during the acute phase of TGA with a sophisticated autobiographic al event interview [derived from Kopelman ef al. (Journal of Clinical and E xperimental Neuropsychology 1989; 11: 724-44) and Borrini ef al. (Psycholog ical Medicine 1989; 19: 215-24)], designed to replicate and extend this stu dy of autobiographical memory. The autobiographical event interview disclos ed an extensive disturbance in recalling memories with a temporal gradient, sparing earliest memories compared to more recent ones.