PULLMAN - There was good news for Cougar fans and everyone else who was pulling for Pullman Mayor Glenn Johnson, who is also the "Voice of the Cougs" and a WSU communications professor.

City Supervisor John Sherman said Tuesday that Johnson will be back to work Thursday, after being hospitalized Sunday night.

Johnson, who is 64, was taken to Pullman Memorial after experiencing short term memory loss for about five hours. He was release from the hospital Monday.

Sherman said Johnson was diagnosed with a rare condition called transient global amnesia. Sherman said Johnson was doing “fabulous” Tuesday and that his prognosis is good. Sherman said Johnson will have one more medical appointment in Pullman this week but will not have to go to Spokane for further testing.

Sherman said there should be no permanent impairment as a result of the episode.

According to the Mayo Clinic website, transient global amnesia is a sudden, temporary episode of memory loss that can't be attributed to a more common neurological condition, such as epilepsy, transient ischemic attack, stroke or head injury.

During an episode of transient global amnesia, recall of recent events simply vanishes, so you can't remember where you are or how you got there. You may also draw a blank when asked to remember things that happened a day, a month or even a year ago. You do remember who you are, and you recognize family members and others you have known for a long time, but that knowledge doesn't make your memory loss any less disturbing.

The Mayo Clinic says transient global amnesia would be even more distressing if it recurred more often or lasted longer than it does. The condition is rare to start with, and among the few who do have one episode, a second episode is uncommon. Also, episodes of transient global amnesia last only six hours, on average, although an episode of any length is frightening to witness or experience.

When an episode of transient global amnesia is over, you remember nothing that happened while your memory was impaired, and you might not recall the hours beforehand. Otherwise, though, your memory is fine.

High blood pressure and high cholesterol, which are closely linked to strokes, are not risk factors for transient global amnesia. Transient global amnesia affects about as many men as it does women.

People between the ages of 56 and 75 have a higher risk of transient global amnesia than do younger or older adults, and the condition very rarely occurs in children.

If you have migraines, your risk of transient global amnesia is significantly higher than that of someone without migraines. The link appears to be strongest before age 56.

The Mayo Clinic says transient global amnesia has no direct complications, but it can cause emotional distress.