Katie Couric hospitalized after sudden memory loss, diagnosed with amnesia

Katie Couric was hospitalized after a sudden bout of memory loss at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado and was later diagnosed with transient global amnesia. Couric said the episode happened on Saturday, June 27, and left her unable to remember parts of the day, including two panels she had participated in.

Couric, 69, said the lapse lasted for several hours. At one point, she could not recall the current month, the year, or who the president was, briefly thinking it was 2024 and Joe Biden was still in office. Her memory and cognition returned to normal.

Transient global amnesia is a rare condition marked by a sudden inability to form new memories while a person remains awake, alert and able to recognize people and carry on a conversation. Doctors typically diagnose it only after ruling out more serious causes such as stroke, seizure, epilepsy or head injury. It usually resolves on its own within 24 hours.

The condition most often affects people between 50 and 70, and incidence estimates put it at about 3 to 8 cases per 100,000 people each year. The underlying cause is still not fully understood, though possible links include migraine history and venous congestion.

Dr. Leah Croll, a neurologist at Maimonides Health, said sudden memory loss must be evaluated quickly to rule out stroke or seizure, especially when the episode begins abruptly and the person cannot account for what happened.

Couric later wrote about the experience in a July 6 Substack post titled The Day I’ll Never Remember.