Read more about this disease, some with Classification – Types – Signs and symptoms – Genetics – Pathophysiology – Diagnosis – Screening – Prevention – Treatment and management – Cures and much more, some including pictures and video when available.
Korsakoff’s syndrome (Korsakoff’s psychosis, amnesic-confabulatory syndrome; sometimes incorrectly spelled “Korsakov’s Syndrome”), is a brain disorder caused by the lack of thiamine (vitamin B1) in the brain. The syndrome is named after Sergei Korsakoff, the neuropsychiatrist who popularized the theory.
There are six major symptoms of Korsakoff’s syndrome:
These symptoms are caused by a deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1), which is thought to cause damage to the medial thalamus and possibly to the mammillary bodies of the hypothalamus as well as generalized cerebral atrophy.[1]
When Wernicke’s encephalopathy accompanies Korsakoff’s syndrome, the combination is called the Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Korsakoff’s is a continuum of Wernicke’s encephalopathy, though a recognised episode of Wernicke’s is not always obvious.
Korsakoff’s involves neuronal loss, that is, damage to neurons; gliosis which is a result of damage to supporting cells of the central nervous system; and hemorrhage or bleeding in mammillary bodies. Damage to the dorsomedial nucleus of the thalamus is also associated with this disorder.
It was once assumed that anyone suffering from Korsakoff’s syndrome would eventually need full time care. This is still often the case, but rehabilitation can help regaining some, often limited, level of independence.[2] [3] Treatment involves the replacement or supplementation of thiamine by intravenous (IV) or intramuscular (IM) injection, together with proper nutrition and hydration. However, the amnesia and brain damage caused by the disease does not always respond to thiamine replacement therapy. In some cases, drug therapy is recommended. If treatment is successful, improvement will become apparent within two years although recovery is slow and often incomplete.
[tubepress mode=’tag’, tagValue=’Korsakoff’s syndrome’]