Mental or Behavioral Dysfunction
Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
Subclass of:
Memory Disorders
Also called:
Korsakoff Amnestic Syndrome; Korsakoff Psychosis; Korsakoff's Psychosis
Definitions related to wernicke-korsakoff syndrome:
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(korsakoff syndrome) A psychotic syndrome caused by damage to the brain by lack of thiamine (vitamin B1). Signs and symptoms include anterograde and retrograde amnesia, confabulation, apathy, ataxia, and coma.NCI ThesaurusU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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(korsakoff syndrome) An acquired cognitive disorder characterized by inattentiveness and the inability to form short term memories. This disorder is frequently associated with chronic ALCOHOLISM; but it may also result from dietary deficiencies; CRANIOCEREBRAL TRAUMA; NEOPLASMS; CEREBROVASCULAR DISORDERS; ENCEPHALITIS; EPILEPSY; and other conditions. (Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p1139)NLM Medical Subject HeadingsU.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
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A syndrome caused by thiamine deficiency. It usually occurs in alcoholics and is characterized by confusion, ataxia, and ophthalmoplegia.NCI ThesaurusU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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An irreversible state of acute confusion and amnesia that develops in alcoholics as a result of malnutrition-related thiamine deficiency.Harvard Dictionary of Health TermsHarvard Medical Publishing, 2011
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(wernicke korsakoff syndrome) Behavior disorder caused by thiamine deficiency, most commonly due to chronic alcohol abuse; Wernicke's encephalopathy involves confusion, ataxia, nystagmus and ophthalmoplegia and is generally reversible by thiamine administration; Korsakoff's syndrome, involving severe anterograde and retrograde amnesia, may appear later and complete recovery is less frequent.CRISP ThesaurusNational Institutes of Health, 2006
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Korsakoff psychosis is a late complication of persistent Wernicke encephalopathy and results in memory deficits, confusion, and behavioral changes.Merck & Co., Inc., 2020
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When persistent learning and memory deficits are present in patients with Wernicke encephalopathy (a clinical triad that classically, but not always, consists of confusion, ataxia, and nystagmus [or ophthalmoplegia]), the symptom complex is often called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Clinically, this term is best conceptualized as 2...WebMD, 2019
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Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is a brain disorder, due to thiamine deficiency that has been associated with both Wernicke's encephalopathy and Korsakoff syndrome. The term refers to two different syndromes, each representing a different stage of the disease. Wernicke's encephalopathy represents the "acute" phase and Korsakoff's syndrome...National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
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Korsakoff syndrome, neurological disorder characterized by severe amnesia (memory loss). Many cases result from severe chronic alcoholism, while others are due to a variety of brain disorders, severe head injury, or a thiamine deficiency. Patients with Korsakoff syndrome typically are unable to...Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2020
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