Topographical memory in transient epileptic amnesia
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Background
Transient Epileptic Amnesia (TEA) is an epilepsy syndrome characterised by amnestic seizures and inter-ictal memory problems affecting remote autobiographical memory, retention of new information (accelerated long-term forgetting), and topographical memory. While studies to-date have focused on the first two of these memory changes, no objective investigation has been undertaken into topographical memory complaints.
Method
Sixteen patients with TEA were compared with 26 age-matched healthy control participants. All participants completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, self-report questionnaires to rate frequency and level of difficulties with both place memory and route-finding, and an objective measure of allocentric spatial memory: the Four Mountains Test.
Results
There were no significant group differences in predicted full scale IQ, processing speed, working memory, visuoconstructional or broader visual memory skills. The TEA group, however, performed significantly below controls on the Four Mountains Test and self-reported more frequent problems with recognising places and recalling familiar routes. The level of self-reported difficulty with route-finding was also significantly greater in people with TEA than controls. While the self-reported measures were significantly correlated with each other, no significant relationship was found between the subjective and objective measures of topographical memory.
Conclusions
These results provide the first empirical evidence of topographical memory impairment in people with TEA, regarding allocentric spatial memory, place memory and route-finding. This further supports theoretical models linking TEA to disruption of hippocampal and medial temporal lobe networks critical for allocentric spatial representation. Future research should extend the objective measurement to include additional aspects of topographical memory.
Transient Epileptic Amnesia (TEA) is an epilepsy syndrome characterised by amnestic seizures and inter-ictal memory problems affecting remote autobiographical memory, retention of new information (accelerated long-term forgetting), and topographical memory. While studies to-date have focused on the first two of these memory changes, no objective investigation has been undertaken into topographical memory complaints.
Method
Sixteen patients with TEA were compared with 26 age-matched healthy control participants. All participants completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, self-report questionnaires to rate frequency and level of difficulties with both place memory and route-finding, and an objective measure of allocentric spatial memory: the Four Mountains Test.
Results
There were no significant group differences in predicted full scale IQ, processing speed, working memory, visuoconstructional or broader visual memory skills. The TEA group, however, performed significantly below controls on the Four Mountains Test and self-reported more frequent problems with recognising places and recalling familiar routes. The level of self-reported difficulty with route-finding was also significantly greater in people with TEA than controls. While the self-reported measures were significantly correlated with each other, no significant relationship was found between the subjective and objective measures of topographical memory.
Conclusions
These results provide the first empirical evidence of topographical memory impairment in people with TEA, regarding allocentric spatial memory, place memory and route-finding. This further supports theoretical models linking TEA to disruption of hippocampal and medial temporal lobe networks critical for allocentric spatial representation. Future research should extend the objective measurement to include additional aspects of topographical memory.
Date Issued
2026-07-01
Date Acceptance
2026-03-20
Citation
Epilepsy and Behavior, 2026, 180
ISSN
1525-5050
Publisher
Elsevier
Journal / Book Title
Epilepsy and Behavior
Volume
180
Copyright Statement
© 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/41926896
PII: S1525-5050(26)00145-9
Subjects
Allocentric memory
Late onset epilepsy
Route-finding
Spatial navigation
Visual memory
Humans
Male
Female
Neuropsychological Tests
Epilepsy
Amnesia
Adult
Middle Aged
Spatial Memory
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
United States
Article Number
111024
Date Publish Online
2026-04-01