nonalcoholic Korsakoff's psychosis

n. Korsakoff's syndrome and Korsakoff's psychosis reflect a depletion of nutrients, notably a thiamine deficiency. This vitamin deficiency is most commonly caused by the poor diet of persons experiencing chronic alcoholism, but the lack of essential vitamins can have other explanations. For example, surgical patients on severely restricted diets, patients recovering from bariatric surgery, persons with severe pneumonia, and persons experiencing prolonged vomiting may all be at risk for malnutrition. Extended exposure to these conditions may result in the vitamin deficiencies found in patients with Korsakoff's syndrome.

The loss of memory experienced by persons with nonalcoholic Korsakoff's syndrome is similar to that experienced by those with alcohol causation. These individuals are all impaired in their ability to use their longterm memories and to remember the order of temporal events; they usually remain virtually unimpaired in other cognitive pursuits. – TJM
▶ See also KORSAKOFF'S PSYCHOSIS and KORSAKOFF'S SYNDROME