Korsakoff's

Question 1

Korsakoff’s

Answer 1

Korsakoff’s syndrome (aka amnesic syndrome)

Korsakoff’s is a chronic syndrome characterised by impaired recent memory and anterograde memory in an alert and responsive patient. It is caused by prolonged thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency and follows Wernicke’s encephalopathy. Other features include lack of insight, apathy, and confabulation.

Thiamine is used in the brain to metabolise glucose. When deficient a build up of glucose occurs this is toxic and causes neuronal loss. The main areas affected in Korsakoff’s syndrome are the mamillary bodies.

Intelligence on the WAIS is preserved.

Episodic memory is characteristically severely affected in the Korsakoff syndrome. Semantic memory is variably affected. Implicit aspects of memory, including the response to priming and perceptuo-motor (procedural) memory, are preserved in the Korsakoff syndrome.Immediate memory tested with the digit span is normal, but information can be retained for at most a few minutes (Kopelman 2009).

Patients frequently display, apathy, lack of initiative, and profound lack of insight.