title: Make love to forget: two cases of transient global amnesia triggered by sexual intercourse.
abstract: Transient global amnesia (TGA) is characterized by a sudden onset and by a typical resolution within several hours. Several precipitating events have been proposed: physical exertion, emotional experiences, etc. The aim of this paper was to present two cases of TGA triggered by sexual intercourse and to suggest a possible mechanism for the development of TGA. In both patients, clinical examination revealed elevated blood pressure. Laboratory examinations and brain CTs were normal. EEG demonstrated diffuse dysrhythmia and slow spike-waves, respectively. SPECT revealed hypoperfusion in the left frontal and right medial temporal regions. Various explanations of the mechanism of TGA are discussed. Based on the observed hypoperfusion in the medial temporal regions, a new hypothesis is advanced, suggesting the possibility that TGA occurs due to a pathologically changed or less adaptable anterior chorioid artery, initially constricted by hypotension following a blood shift from the center towards periphery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University Hospital Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia.
authors.forename: Mira
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bucuk
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Muzur
authors.forename: Ksenija
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Willheim
authors.forename: Ante
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jurjević
authors.forename: Zoran
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tomić
authors.forename: Lidija
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tuskan-Mohar
mesh_terms: D020236:Amnesia, Transient Global / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D003075:Coitus / Q000523:psychology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon