The Young and the Restless: 7 Iconic Amnesia Storylines

Leslie (Victoria Mallory) gave birth to her son, Brooks Lucas Prentiss, in 1979 — but while Lucas (Tom Lingon) had married her and agreed to claim the baby as his own, the true father was Lance, Lucas's brother, who was married to Lorie, Leslie's sister! The strain became overwhelming to Leslie, who fled Genoa City and soon enough fell victim to what appeared to be stress-induced amnesia. With no memory of who she was, she began a new life as a blonde, going by the name Priscilla and singing at a nightclub called Jonas's. As Priscilla, she fell for her new boss, Jonas, and wasn't interested in learning anything about her past, but in 1980, she had an unexpected encounter with Lucas, who brought her back to Genoa City. Her memories slowly began to return.

In 1985, Ashley (Eileen Davidson) was so traumatized upon learning that her biological father was Brent Davis, not John Abbott, that it triggered hysterical amnesia. She wound up working at a rural diner, where she was known as "Annie." Victor Newman tracked her down and manage to rescue her from the lecherous truck driver that was poised to sexually assault her. He took her back to Genoa City, where she regained her memory after reuniting with her mother, Dina.

In 2007, Nick was a passenger on the Newman jet when it crashed. While his loved ones mourned his apparent demise, Nick wandered aimlessly in the wilderness, suffering from partial amnesia. While he knew who he was, he could not recall the past several years of his life, meaning that he didn't know his beloved daughter Cassie had died, that he had split from Sharon, or that he had married Phyllis and had a baby, Summer, with her! Nick was found and taken to the hospital, but his happiness at being reunited with his family was marred when Sharon broke the terrible news about Cassie. He tried to make a play for Sharon, but in the end, he rediscovered his love for Phyllis.

In 2008, Katherine (Jeanne Cooper) was in a catastrophic car crash with her look-alike, diner waitress Marge. Marge died, but everyone thought it was Katherine who had passed away. In actuality, Katherine had been discovered post-crash by Marge’s friend Murphy (Michael Fairman), who thought she was Marge — and Kay assumed he was right, since she couldn’t remember who she was! At Christmastime, she slipped on some ice and hit her head, restoring her memories. She went on to marry Murphy.

In 2012, Victor (Eric Braeden) disappeared from Genoa City shortly after tying the knot with Sharon. He resurfaced in Los Angeles, wandering along the port with his memories wiped out. A kindly nun named Sister Celeste (Bonnie Franklin) helped him out, and he was tracked down by several Genoa City residents working their own agendas, including Billy — who didn't tell his wife that he had found her missing father! His memory returned just as his loved ones were attempting to process his presumed death. Nikki was bawling her eyes out at Victor's grave when the man himself showed up for an emotional reunion.

In 2015, Neil was bent on revenge after his former wife, Hilary (Mishael Morgan), tied the knot with his son, Devon. He trailed the couple on their honeymoon, determined to bust up the new marriage with falsified proof that Devon had been unfaithful. She wound up taking a bad fall, landing her in a coma, and when she emerged from her medical slumber, she had partial amnesia, believing she was still Mrs. Neil Winters. In time, she had total recall.

Adam (Mark Grossman) was presumed dead in 2016 when Chloe blew up a cabin with him inside in an unhinged effort to avenge Delia's death. He survived, resurfacing in Las Vegas, where he was amnesiac and calling himself Spider. As Spider, he became ingrained in the high-stakes poker underworld. Victor was the first to discover that his son was actually alive, and when Chloe got wind of this, she shot him. When he woke up in the hospital, his memories were back.