Acute management for Korsakoff syndrome includes thiamine replacement therapy. Some promising pharmacologic treatments consist of cholinesterase inhibitors like donepezil and memantine to improve cognitive deficits. More long-term treatments consist of a combination of pharmacological treatments and behavioral interventions. Cognitive remediation like visualizing images and verbalizing actions, errorless learning, and external memory-aides have shown to improve memory deficits. 

Korsakoff's Syndrome Treatment

Researchers assessed social cognition in those with Korsakoff’s Syndrome with the HITS model. People with KS performed lower on all three measures of social cognition on perceiving and interpreting emotions, and responding to social information, than controls. 
Those with strictly Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) also show similar deficits in social cognition. However, those with KS exhibit larger effect sizes which may be explained by:

- Those with KS have a more severe drinking history
- Brain damage in the diencephalon due to KS
- Particular social cognitive impairment in KS may be associated with other cognitive impairments in KS like episodic memory and executive function
- Psychiatric commodity in KS like mood and personality disorders may contribute more to social cognitive dysfunction

Social Impairment in Korsakoff's Syndrome

Collection of references for Korsakoff's Syndrome

References for Korsakoff's Syndrome

A chronic syndrome characterized by anterograde and retrograde amnesia due to alcoholism, along with other cognitive deficits. It is caused by a lack of thiamine (vitamin B1), which damages neurons. It can also involve deficits in executive functioning, apathy, and social impairments. 

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Iona College

It is a mental disorder that affects a person's brain and behavior, leading to their inability to control their use of substances such as legal or illegal drugs, alcohol, or medication. Symptoms can range from moderate to severe, with addiction being the most powerful form of SUDs.

Substance Use Disorder

Deficiency in thiamine (vitamin B1), is stated by researchers to cause beriberi with numbness as CNS symptom (which disrupts motor functioning) as well as Wernicke’s encephalopathy.

Thiamine Deficiency

Arts, N. J., Walvoort, S. J., & Kessels, R. P. (2017). Korsakoff’s syndrome: a critical review. Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment.

Korsakoff's syndrome: a critical review

Addictions counseling, also called substance abuse counseling, is a specialization in counseling that focuses on treating individuals with a dependency on drugs or alcohol.

Addictions Counseling

Mindfulness has been studied for its usage in those suffering from addiction to substances. Mindfulness has been shown in some scenarios to be effective in decreasing addictive behaviors in people addicted to substances such as opioids, heroin, cocaine, drinking, and smoking. 

Mindfulness for those suffering from substance use disorder

Symptoms include: 
-Sudden weight loss or gain
-Pupils that are smaller or larger than usual
-bloodshot eyes
-changes in appetite and sleeping patterns
-slurred speech
-impaired coordination or tremors 
-deterioration of the physical appearance or changes in grooming practices
running nose



Substance Use Disorder Symptons 

Occurs after the body has adapted to the drug's presence after a period of time. When the drug is abruptly removed, it can cause a variety of physical symptoms. In some cases, this can be dangerous.

Substance Withdrawal Disorder

- Theories include opponent, inhibitory control, reward deficiency, incentive sensitization, aberrant learning, and anti-reward theory 

Neuroadaptive Theories in Addiction/Craving

Korsakoff's Syndrome

Alcohol abuse is responsible for one in eight deaths among older Americans. It is predicted that there will be an increase in illicit drug use and alcohol abuse among the baby boomer cohort as many have showcased addiction to prescription medication in the past.

Substance Abuse in Geriatric People 

AUDIT-C is a screener test for evaluating current alcohol consumption risk. 

Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT-C)

Alcohol Use Disorder is characterized by symptoms such as alcohol craving, recurrent use of alcohol that interferes with the fulfillment of one’s daily responsibilities, alcohol-seeking behavior, inability to control one’s drinking, drinking despite potential hazards (e.g., drinking while driving), the need for increased amounts of alcohol to achieve its effects (tolerance), and withdrawal symptoms when one stops or reduces alcohol intake (e.g., hand tremors, nausea, agitation, hallucinations). The disorder is distinguished as mild, moderate, or severe depending on the number of these symptoms that an individual may have: Mild cases present with two to three symptoms; moderate cases four to five symptoms; and severe cases six or more symptoms.

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)

Health Psychology research studies relating to Substance Abuse include

- ICU Admissions and Alcohol Misuse
- Factors Associated with AUD (Alcohol Use Disorder)
- Alcohol Use and Gender



Health Psychology Research Relating to Substance Abuse

Central nervous system (CNS) stimulants are a category of drugs that increase nervous system activity. This group includes cocaine, amphetamines, cathinones, and MDMA, which act as dopamine agonists. Other stimulants like nicotine and caffeine function by affecting acetylcholine and adenosine neurotransmitter systems, respectively.

Central Nervous System Stimulants

A neurological disorder caused by a deficiency of vitamin B1 (thiamine). The principal symptoms are confusion, oculomotor abnormalities (gaze palsy and nystagmus), and ataxia. The disorder is most frequently associated with chronic alcoholism but is also found in cases of pernicious anemia, gastric cancer, and malnutrition. These symptoms are likely to resolve with thiamine treatment, although most individuals then develop severe retrograde and anterograde amnesia as well as impairment in other areas of cognitive functioning, including executive functions.

Wernicke’s Encephalopathy

Beriberi is a nutritional disorder due to a thiamine deficiency. It presents as wet and dry beriberi: 

- Wet beriberi affects the cardiovascular system, which may lead to heart failure. Shoshin beriberi is a more severe form of wet beriberi that includes cardiogenic shock, fatigue, loss of appetite, and abdominal pain.  
- Dry beriberi affects the peripheral nervous system that leads to peripheral polyneuropathy (damage to peripheral nerves) causing burning pain sensations, numbness, and muscle weakness.  

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