Contributor: Chris Holmes MD
Educational Pearls:
"It's a poor sort of memory that only works backwards" - Transient Global Amnesia
A syndrome with sudden retrograde memory loss in which patients cannot retain new information
Characterized by perseveration in frequent intervals
Typically improves within hours
MRI is normal initially
Alice In Wonderland Syndrome
A disorder in which patients experience distortions in their visual perceptions
Most often characterized by micropsia and/or macropsia
Other symptoms may include illusory movement or wavy lines
Alice in Wonderland as a metaphor for birth
Traveling down the rabbit hole is conception
Alice getting bigger in a confined space is pregnancy
Drinking potions is amniotic fluid
Escaping to explore a scary world is childbirth
References
1. Blom JD. Alice in wonderland syndrome. Alice Wonderl Syndr. 2019;(June):1-221. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-18609-8
2. Ropper M.D. AH. Transient Global Amnesia. N Engl J Med. 2023;(388):635-640. doi:10.1056/NEJMra2213867
Summarized by Jorge Chalit, OMSII | Edited by Meg Joyce & Jorge Chalit, OMSII