A Case of Persistent Generalized Retrograde AutobiographicalAmnesia Subsequent to the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011

Functional retrograde autobiographical amnesia is often associated with physical and/or psychological trauma. On 11 March 2011,the largest earthquake on record in Japan took place, and subsequent huge tsunami devastated the Pacific coast of northern Japan.This case report describes a patient suffering from retrograde episodic-autobiographical amnesia for whole life, persisting for evenmore than five years after the disaster. A Japanese man, presumably in his 40s, got police protection in April 2016 but was unable torespond to question about his own name. He lost all information about his personal identity, and his memory was wholly lost untilthe disaster on 11 March 2011. He was able to recall his life after the disaster, and semantic memories and social abilities were largelypreserved. A medical examination performed on 1 November 2016 verified that he was awake, alert, and oriented to time, place, andperson (except for himself). General physical and neurological examinations revealed no pathological findings. He also experiencedsome symptoms associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), such as intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, and nightmares. Noabnormalities were detected by biochemical test and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Physicians and other professionalswho take care of victims of disaster should be aware of dissociative spectrum disorders, such as psychogenic amnesia