Korsakoff's syndrome

The Korsakoff syndrome ( syn.: amnestic brain syndrome, Korsakoff's symptoms circle, Korsakoff 's disease or symptom complex Korsakov ) is a form of amnesia ( memory disturbance ). A first detailed description was in 1887 by the Russian psychiatrist and neurologist Sergei Korsakov ( 1854-1900 ) published by examination at 18 alcoholics as " polyneuritisches amnestic syndrome ".

Symptoms

In the foreground of the Korsakoff syndrome are named after amnesia. Both forgetting old memory contents (retrograde amnesia ) and the inability happens newly noticing -experienced ( anterograde amnesia). In most cases it is, however, a marked anterograde amnesia and old memories remain relatively unaffected. The memory disturbance may be so pronounced that it is the patient not possible to memorize facts for even seconds. Furthermore, patients often unconsciously conceal their memory gaps on current events with old memories. Rarely is the memory gaps to be filled with pure imagination content, this is referred to in medical parlance as confabulation. In its total impairments in memory often lead to no longer find their way to patients in their local and temporal environment. In addition to memory impairment, a number of other psychiatric symptoms. Thus, lack of drive, increased fatigue and severe fatigue, euphoria and severe mood swings are described.

In addition to these symptoms, which are caused by damage to the central nervous system, the peripheral nerves are affected. It is formed from a typically bein stressed polyneuropathy. This causes disturbances of motor function and sensitivity. In addition, it also damages the autonomic nervous system. It show symptoms such as pallor of the skin or reinforced cold sensations.

Occurrence

The Korsakoff's syndrome was first described in chronic alcoholics. There were also observed in many other brain damage Korsakov similar findings: craniocerebral trauma, certain cerebral hemorrhage ( aneurysm of the anterior communicating artery ) and further damage to the anterior limbic system, particularly the orbitofrontal cortex rear. It can also occur in many toxicosis such as the Kohlenstoffmonoxidintoxikation in encephalitis or infections such as typhus or typhoid.

Cause

Cause of the disease is a thiamine ( vitamin B1 ) deficiency due to deficiency or malnutrition, malabsorption and starvation (eg anorexia nervosa). They often occurs in alcoholics who meet their calorie requirements primarily with alcohol. Although it should be noted that in the brewers' yeast, a high content of thiamine (vitamin B1) is found but it beer exist in the finished product no longer, since the yeast is filtered off again during the brewing process. Thus, on the one hand reduces the thiamine, but disturbed absorption and enzyme activity. Over time as more and more damage arise primarily in the mammillary bodies as well as in the limbic system, above all in the hippocampus. The Korsakoff's syndrome may occur alone or in the course of or following a Wernicke 's encephalopathy ( Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome).