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Updated: Oct 1, 2026

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Published on: March 9, 2021
Amnesia during cold water immersion: a case report
J W Castellani1, A J Young, M N Sawka
1US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division, Natick, MA 01760-5007, USA.
Abstract:
This report describes a case of amnesia during a cold-water experiment. The volunteer was exposed three times in 1 day (120 min duration each time) to 20 degrees C water. During the third immersion, from min 95 to min 115, the subject experienced transient global amnesia for 20 min. The rectal temperature during this time was 35.6 degrees C. This single case demonstrates that memory loss in a young individual apparently can occur after cold-water exposure and at core temperatures above 35 degrees C.
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