Korsakoff's syndrome
From Psy3242
Contents |
Causes
Korsakoff's syndrome, first studied and documented by Korsakoff in the late 1890s, is caused by a deficiency in thiamine from long-term alcohol abuse, and a poor diet often associated with longtime alcoholism. Korsakoff's disease seems to result from extensive bilateral damage to the frontal lobe and frontal lobe atrophy, as well as damage to the medial thalamus, and bilateral damage to the mamillary bodies.
Symptoms
The disorder is characterized by three symptomatic features: anterograde amnesia, retro grade amnesia, and confabulation. Anterograde amnesia and retrograde amnesia affect the memories stored in the brain from before and after the disease, and the effects can destroy one's ability to access long-term memory and form new short-term memories. Confabulation is the filling-in of memory gaps by Korsakoff's patients in their semantic and episodic memories. Patients with Korsakoff's syndrome often demonstrate other symptoms such as apathy and a lack insight, but their IQ and reasoning seems to be unaffected.
Examples
The patient H.M. is a well-known case of the global amnesia caused by Korsakoff's syndrome. Patients suffering from herpes simplex encephalitis may also exhibit Korsakoff's symptoms such as difficulty in memory storage and retrieval.
Overview
Korsakoff's syndrome is a degenerative neurological condition caused by a thiamine (B1) deficiency, which is itself often caused by alcoholism and other forms of malnutrition.
Symptoms
Symptoms of Korsakoff's syndrome include:
- amnesia (retrograde, anterograde, or both), due to the degeneration of the hippocampus
- lack of general interest
- confabulation (details and memories created by a person and taken as true by him/her)
- tremors and/or ataxia (lack of muscle coordination)
Treatment and Prognosis
While the most severe stages of the condition lead to coma and death, if caught early enough, recovery can be made through the use of intravenous thiamine supplements, and by improving general health and nutrition. The brain damage that occurs during the disease, however, is irreversible.
Sources
Wikipedia
