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A transient neurological attack (TNA) is a group of neurological symptoms similar to a TIA, with an increased risk of subsequent stroke and dementia. The funny turn isn't always taken seriously. But many should, because they come in different varieties. For instance people can develop the signs of a stroke which don't last long: weakness in an arm or a leg, tingling, trouble with speech and so on. That could be a transient ischaemic attack, or TIA, and indicates a high risk of a full-blown stroke. Some people have short-lived neurological symptoms which don't look like a stroke, but suggest there's something going on in the brain. It could be an unexplained blackout, a short period of confusion, temporary memory loss, dizziness, unsteadiness on your feet or even just feeling unwell when there's no other explanation like migraine or epilepsy. One name for these funny turns is a transient neurological attack – TNA – but no-one's been too sure what they mean for a person's future. A 15-year study following 6000 people aged in their mid-60s has found that TNAs are almost as common as the ischaemic attacks – the TIAs. They also discovered that the risk of a subsequent stroke was significantly raised, as was dementia – particularly the kind caused by arterial disease. People who had both the TNAs and TIAs were especially at risk. So never ignore the funny turn, and don't let your doctor ignore it either.
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