Amnesic

Amnesic is an adjective describing conditions or states related to amnesia, or memory loss. The term derives from the Greek amnēsia, meaning forgetfulness, and is used in medical, scientific, and descriptive contexts to indicate memory impairment.

In medical terminology, amnesia refers to a deficit in memory that can be partial or complete. Amnesic conditions are often categorized by the type of memory affected: retrograde amnesia, which involves loss of previously formed memories; anterograde amnesia, which impairs the formation of new memories; and global amnesia, which encompasses broad memory loss. Transient global amnesia is a short-lived, abrupt episode of dense anterograde and retrograde amnesia that typically resolves within hours. Dissociative (psychogenic) amnesia is attributed to psychological factors rather than physical brain injury, and post-traumatic amnesia follows a brain injury. Amnesic states may be evaluated with cognitive testing and neuroimaging to determine etiology and prognosis.

In pharmacology and anesthesia, an amnestic effect describes drugs or procedures that reduce memory formation or recall. Benzodiazepines, certain anesthetics, and other sedatives can produce transient amnesia, a property sometimes exploited in clinical settings to reduce procedural distress. Research uses amnestic agents to study memory processes and to protect against unwanted recollections in specific contexts.

A distinct usage appears in toxicology: amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) results from domoic acid exposure through contaminated shellfish and can cause gastrointestinal symptoms followed by neurological deficits, including memory loss.

Amnesic as a descriptor thus denotes memory impairment in clinical, pharmacological, and toxicological contexts, rather than serving as a standalone diagnosis. See also amnesia, memory, and hippocampus.