Korsakov's syndrome - manifestations and causes

Korsakov's syndrome, or amnestic syndrome, is manifested by short-term memory impairments , which causes the patient to lose time. Intellectual abilities do not decrease. The cause of the disorder is the damage to the posterior lobe of the hypothalamus and the surrounding structures, sometimes bilateral damage to the hippocampus can occur.

For the first time this syndrome was examined by a Russian psychiatrist, S.S. Korsakov. In the late nineteenth century, the term "Korsakov's syndrome" was used to describe a number of disorders having the same symptoms. At present, this term describes memory impairment, learning ability, and, these two symptoms should be much more pronounced than other manifestations of the disease.

The term "Wernicke-Korsakov syndrome" is also common. In 1881, Wernicke described an acute neurologic syndrome, which may lead to problems with short-term memory. This syndrome is manifested by acute impairment of consciousness, memory loss, orientation and other symptoms. These disorders are of an organic nature: bleeding in the brain of these patients is formed in the region of the third and fourth cerebral ventricles. It is now known that in both syndromes, the same damage to the gray matter of the brain takes place .

As already mentioned, the main manifestation of Korsakov's syndrome is a breach of short-term memory. Usually patients manage to remember those events that occurred a few seconds ago, but after a few minutes or more everything that happened to them is forgotten. Numerous memory tests show that the patient can show good results only for a few seconds, after ten minutes, memory impairments can be observed. Not always such violations can depend on the patient's inability to remember. Usually problems arise with the reproduction of the information received, the patient feels some kind of hindrance that does not allow him to remember normally what he is being asked for. Korsakov's syndrome because of the memory disorders described above leads to disorientation in time.

The memory dips that accompany Korsakov's syndrome are often manifested by the fact that the patient, trying to remember what happened to him, describes something that never really happened. He just can not tell which facts actually took place, and which are the fruit of his imagination. Such patients can usually be easily impressed with anything, if the doctor only slightly hints at the patient about non-existent events, he is able to easily give a detailed description of this event or fact , Allegedly taking place.

In case of serious memory impairment, the patient's remaining mental capabilities are kept at the same level. Often such people can well maintain a conversation with a doctor, solve everyday problems. Nevertheless, there are violations in the emotional sphere (dulling). Patients are also experiencing problems with the performance of actions that require them to volitional efforts.