Disproportionate retrograde amnesia in a patient with herpes simplex encephalitis

A patient (female; 51 years old) developed a severe retrograde amnesia extending back for about 10 years associated with a relatively mild anterograde amnesia following herpes simplex encephalitis. Neuroimaging revealed a bilateral medial temporal lobe pathology. The retrograde amnesia included autobiographical memory as well as knowledge about famous people and public events.