Korsakoff syndrome

Korsakoff syndrome
Other names	Alcoholic Korsakoff syndrome (AKS), Korsakov syndrome, Alcohol amnestic disorder
Thiamine
Specialty	Psychiatry

Korsakoff syndrome (KS)^[1] is a disorder of the central nervous system characterized by amnesia, deficits in explicit memory, and confabulation. This neurological disorder is caused by a deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B₁) in the brain, and it is typically associated with and exacerbated by the prolonged, excessive ingestion of alcohol.^[2] Korsakoff syndrome is often accompanied by Wernicke encephalopathy; this combination is called Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome.^[2]

Korsakoff syndrome is named after Sergei Korsakoff, the Russian neuropsychiatrist who described it during the late 19th century.^[3]