A patient in the Midlands has been dubbed "Groundhog Day" man after developing a condition which leaves him living the same day over and over again.
The man of 38 wakes up each day thinking he has just been to the dentist.
This is because for ten years he has only been able to remember 90 minutes of his life, his doctors revealed.
His condition developed after having a local anaesthetic for root canal treatment at the dentist.
His doctors say he is fully aware of his identity and has a stable personality – but he thinks every day is the day of his dental appointment.
He manages his life using an electronic diary.
His doctors today appealed for any information about what might have triggered the amnesia or might cure it.
Clinical psychologist Dr Gerald Burgess, of Leicester University, and psychiatrist Dr Bhanu Chadalavada, of Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation NHS Trust, reported the man’s plight in the journal Neurocase.
They say there is no sign of structural brain damage that might explain the amnesia.
Dr Burgess said: “One of our reasons for writing up this individual’s case was that we had never seen anything like this before in our assessment clinics, and we do not know what to make of it, but felt an honest reporting of the facts as we assessed them was warranted, that perhaps there will be other cases, or people who know more than we do about what might have caused the patient’s amnesia.
“Our experience was that none of our colleagues in neurology, psychiatry, and clinical neuropsychology could explain this case, or had seen anything like it themselves before.”
* In the movie Groundhog Day, a character played by comic actor Bill Murray lives the same day over and over again. However he is able to remember previous days and adjust his actions until the day gives the result he wants.
Gerald H. Burgess & Bhanu Chadalavada (2015): Profound anterograde amnesia following routine anesthetic and dental procedure: a new classification of amnesia characterized by intermediate-to-late-stage consolidation failure? Neurocase: The Neural Basis of Cognition 15 May 2015; doi: 10.1080/13554794.2015.1046885 [abstract]
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