Brain stem dysfunction in transient global amnesia.

A patient with transient global amnesia also had transient bilateral gaze nystagmus which was detected both by conventional bedside examination and upon electronystagmographic recording. The nystagmus was absent one week later indicating recovery of the temporary brain stem deficit. The recording of objective evidence of brain stem dysfunction in the form of gaze nystagmus in a patient who had transient global amnesia, suggests that both were due to a transient ischemic attack involving the cerebral blood supply in the vertebrobasilar distribution.