‘I thought it was 2024’
NBC News • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Veteran journalist Katie Couric revealed she experienced transient global amnesia, a rare and temporary condition causing sudden memory loss while maintaining self-awareness, during an incident on June 27, 2026, in Aspen.
- Couric was unable to correctly identify the year or the sitting U.S. president during the episode, which lasted several hours but resolved without lasting effects.
- Transient global amnesia affects 3.4 to 10.4 people per 100,000 annually, with higher rates (23.5 to 32 per 100,000) among those aged 50 and older, according to the National Institutes of Health.
- Neurologists describe the condition as benign and typically a one-time event, often linked to migraines, mini-seizures, or strokes, with no connection to Alzheimer’s or other long-term cognitive disorders.
- While the cause is sometimes unclear, triggers can include stress or physical exertion, and patients usually recover fully, returning to normal life after the episode.
