Korsakoff's psychosis
Noun: A form of dementia, specifically an amnestic disorder, most commonly observed as a consequence of severe, chronic alcoholism and thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency. Its core feature is a profound loss of memory for recent events while long-term memory often remains relatively intact.
This term is used in clinical, medical, and psychological contexts to describe a specific neurological syndrome. * The patient was diagnosed with Korsakoff's psychosis following years of alcohol dependency. * A key symptom of Korsakoff's psychosis is confabulation, where the patient fills memory gaps with fabricated stories. * Treatment for Korsakoff's psychosis involves immediate thiamine replacement and abstinence from alcohol.
- The term is often linked with Wernicke's encephalopathy (an acute neurological condition), with the chronic phase referred to as Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.
- While "psychosis" is part of the name, the primary deficits are amnestic and cognitive rather than psychotic in the typical sense (e.g., hallucinations, delusions), though these can sometimes occur.
- Korsakoff's syndrome: A more modern and frequently used synonym.
- Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome: The combined term for the acute (Wernicke's) and chronic (Korsakoff's) phases of the disorder.
- Alcohol amnestic disorder: A descriptive clinical term.
- Confabulation (noun): A common symptom where a person produces fabricated or distorted memories without the intent to deceive.
- Korsakoff's syndrome
- Alcohol-induced persisting amnestic disorder
The definition focuses on the primary cause (chronic alcoholism/thiamine deficiency) and the core symptom (anterograde amnesia with preserved remote memory). It is a specific medical diagnosis, not a general term for memory loss.
- dementia observed during the last stages of severe chronic alcoholism; involves loss of memory for recent events although long term memory is intact