Amnesia. 

A plot device used by many authors with absolutely no understanding of what is a complex and little understood brain disorder. One moment the character can't remember who they are and the next- BAM! they remember everything just in time to save the day/ win the guy/ girl. 

There is nothing wrong with writing characters with amnesia, some of the best thrillers in the literary world use it effectively- anyone read 'The Girl On The Train'? 

Where was I?... Oh yes, amnesia.. 

So what actually is amnesia?

Amnesia is memory loss. People with amnesia struggle to form new memories, recall facts and experiences from their past. It may surprise you that people with amnesia usually RETAIN the knowledge of who they are (their own identity). 

There are three main different types of amnesia, these are retrograde amnesia, anterograde amnesia, and transient global amnesia.

Retrograde amnesia

When you have retrograde amnesia you loose the memories you already have. This usually affects recent memories first, with memories from childhood affected more slowly. You will have heard of this type of amnesia, and many of you will have witnessed it first hand in relatives and friends who have dementia. 

Anterograde amnesia

When you have anterograde amnesia, you can't form new memories. This effect can be temporary. For example, you can experience it during a blackout caused by too much alcohol. It can also be permanent. You can experience it if the area of your brain known as your hippo-campus is damaged. Your hippo-campus plays an important role in forming memories.

Transient global amnesia

Transient global amnesia (TGA) is a poorly understood condition. If you develop it, you will experience confusion or agitation that comes and goes repeatedly over the course of several hours. You may experience memory loss in the hours before the attack, and you will probably have no lasting memory of the experience. Scientists think that TGA occurs as the result of seizure-like activity or a brief blockage of the blood vessels supplying your brain. It occurs more frequently in middle-aged and older adults.

But did you know there is also a type of amnesia which nearly every single person on the planet has experienced? 

Infantile amnesia

Most people can't remember the first three to five years of life. This common phenomenon is called infantile or childhood amnesia! It's why our earliest memories are those of when we were a young child and why we can't remember anything from being a baby.

Now you know the facts and what amnesia is, share in the comments your favourite books which deal with this condition in the right way!