L. Hokkanen et J. Launes, DURATION OF TRANSIENT AMNESIA CORRELATES WITH COGNITIVE OUTCOME IN ACUTE ENCEPHALITIS, NeuroReport, 8(12), 1997, pp. 2721-2725
Temporary periods of amnesia are encountered in acute encephalitides.
We investigated the association between transient encephalitic amnesia
(TENA) and outcome in 60 patients. Twenty-six patients had TENA lasti
ng less than or equal to 1 day (short TENA), 17 had TENA lasting 2-7 d
ays, and 17 had TENA for > 7 days (long TENA). The long TENA group had
more neuropsychological impairment, larger brain lesions, and more di
fficulty in daily activities than the short TENA group. The findings w
ere not explained by the number of epileptic seizures, delay of acyclo
vir medication, or the aetiology of encephalitis. TENA is a useful new
clinical tool in predicting the outcome of acute encephalitis and sel
ecting patients who are in need of detailed neuropsychological evaluat
ion.