Good Sex Can Literally Blow Your Mind
Can sex really, literally blow one's mind? Well, apparently, it can.
In a case study published in the Journal of Emergency Medicine, September issue, a 54-year old woman experienced temporary memory loss after having sex with her husband. The patient came into the Georgetown University Hospital emergency department, unable to recall what transpired in the last 24 hours... or at least before climaxing.
But she did remember something though - her temporary amnesia started right after having sex with her husband just an hour before.
Her condition was diagnosed as transient global amnesia, a rare condition wherein memory suddenly, temporarily, disappears. According to experts, the episodes are likewise temporary and unlikely to happen again.
People with transient global amnesia experience no side effects as memory usually comes back in a couple of few hours. Considered a rare condition, it affects only about 3 to 5 people per 100,000 each year.
But then, researchers can point the reason why it occurs in the first place.
A neurologist interviewed by MSNBC, Sebastian Ameriso, failed to shed light on the cause of transient global amnesia.
"We don't know very much about the cause. It causes a lot of alarm, but this is not a stroke or an event that causes damage to the brain. It's almost always very benign," he said.
Other medical practitioners and experts, though, think the reason is actually an overworked brain.
"Transient global amnesia is caused by a scrambling of the memory circuits in the brain, often brought on by physical or emotional triggers," said Dr. Carol Lippa, a professor of neurology at Drexel University Medical School told ABC News. "In post-coital cases, transient global amnesia may be related to changes in blood flow in the vessels that feed the brain's memory formation areas - sort of a remote consequence of the altered blood flow that occurs during sex."
Men and women over 50 years old are most likely to experience the peculiar memory loss. However, most people with transient global amnesia have it only once. In most cases, after having transient global amnesia, people have trouble forming new memories. Other times, they forget portions of their previous memories. In the case of the 54-year-old woman, the last day was a fog, and she had been forgetful and confused since having sex.
Regardless of the cause, experts say transient global amnesia occurs after strenuous physical activity, severe pain or psychological distress.
"Transient global amnesia can occur after any activity, and I'd imagine that it could occur while someone is playing Ping-Pong, but that wouldn't be as titillating," Dr. Lippa said.