alcohol amnesic disorder

n. Usually known as Korsakoff's psychosis or Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, it is a disproportionate impairment in memory in comparison to other cognitive functions observed in some chronic alcohol abusers. Most prominent is anterograde amnesia for both verbal and nonverbal information. The sensitivity to interference is the principal characteristic of the memory impairment. Confabulations may also occur, although primarily in the acute stage of the disorder. Confabulation represents a tendency for patients to fill in gaps in memory when faced with questions they cannot answer. Declarative memory (factual knowledge) is significantly impaired, whereas procedural memory (motor learning) is preserved. Korsakoff's syndrome is directly linked to a deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B₁). It has also been described in the context of a number of other disorders that cause malnutrition or malabsorption, including persistent vomiting, hyperemesis gravidarum, intravenous feeding, gastrointestinal carcinoma, bowel obstruction, dialysis, and AIDS. Vulnerability to Korsakoff's syndrome is highly variable. Among alcoholics with extensive drinking histories and malnutrition, only a minority develop the syndrome. A genetic predisposition to impaired thiamine metabolism has been postulated in individuals with Korsakoff's syndrome. - AA