 A review was published recently on Demoic Acid, a potent neurotoxin found extremely rarely in seafood that can cause seizures, coma, death, like the paralytic fish toxins, but most interestingly causes amnesia, permanent short-term memory loss. If anyone's seen the movie Momento, that's what they're talking about, anterior-grade amnesia. So here's kind of a prototypical case. Prior to muscle ingestion, the patient was entirely self-sufficient small business owner. After supper, he started to get nauseous, up all night vomiting, but then he started to really deteriorate. 10 days later he's in a coma, in a ventilator, but then he recovers. Three months later, he's back. Normal language, judgment, social skills didn't know where he was or what day it was. In fact, he doesn't remember anything since getting sick, but from then on was unable to retain any new information, though he could remember everything in his life before that fateful meal. The toxin targets the hippocampus, the part of the brain where memories are laid down. Years later, when he died, at the autopsy, there was complete neuronal loss, nerve loss in that part of the brain. This amnesic seafood toxin has been found in tuna, anchovies, mackerel, soul sardines, halibut, and the diatoms that produce the original toxin that bioaccumulates up the food chain into the fish appear to be increasing in frequency and toxicity, thereby presenting a continued threat to human health and seafood safety. The toxin is heat stable, so it's clear that cooking will not increase the safety of the products, contaminate with democ acid. It does cross the placenta, can enter the brain tissue, and accumulate in amniotic fluid, so a particular concern lies in infants and children that may be exposed.