What is "transient global amnesia"

n. memory disorder seen in middle aged and elderly persons; characterized by an episode of amnesia and bewilderment that lasts for several hours; person is otherwise alert and intellectually active

Transient global amnesia (TGA) is a neurological disorder whose key defining characteristic is a temporary but almost total disruption of short-term memory with a range of problems accessing older memories. A person in a state of TGA exhibits no other signs of impaired cognitive functioning but recalls only the last few moments of consciousness, as well as deeply encoded facts of the individual's past, such as his or her own name.