amnesia

(am-nē′zhă)

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[Gr. amnēsia, amnēstia, oblivion, forgetfulness]
Loss of memory, whether partial, total, permanent, or transient. The term is often applied to episodes during which patients forget recent events although they may conduct themselves appropriately, and after which no memory of the period persists. Such episodes are often caused by strokes, seizures, trauma, senility, alcoholism, or intoxication. The cause is often unknown.

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