Imaging studies in TEA are usually unremarkable, but recent studies with automated and manual magnetic resonance volumetry revealed bilateral medial temporal lobe atrophy, mostly restricted to the hippocampus. We found only one report of an ictal EEG, showing diffuse fast low-amplitude activity in the temporal region, then recruiting rhythm spreading from one side to the other. Up to now, the reported EEG findings were mostly interictal and include uni- or bilateral temporal sharp waves (1/3 of cases), nonspecific focal slow waves (1/3), or normal EEG. Response to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) is often favorable. Transient epileptic amnesia (TEA) is defined as a temporal lobe epilepsy characterized by recurrent transient memory loss, lasting usually less than 1 h, frequently on waking and often accompanied with other temporal features such as olfactory hallucinations and oral automatisms,. The patient was treated with levetiracetam (500 mg twice daily) and has not presented any further episode of amnesia (2-month follow-up). A standard EEG performed 3 h after the episode showed a right temporal electrographic seizure with a recruiting pattern of about 25-second duration, immediately followed by a left temporal electrographic seizure of shorter duration (about 15 s) ( Fig. 1) the patient was not tested by the technician, but there were no obvious clinical symptoms. Autobiographical memory was excellent except for the acute episode. Three words immediate recall was 3/3, and delayed recall was 3/3 with a category cue. The episode lasted about 90 min, and when we examined the patient, he had recovered. The witness did not notice oral automatisms or altered consciousness. He kept repeating the same sentences (“Where am I? What's happening?”) and seemed lost with regard to time and place. His wife noticed that the patient suffered from anterograde amnesia as he was taking his breakfast. A 79-year-old patient was referred to the emergency room for suspected TGA.
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