Skip Navigation


Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access originally published online on December 29, 2005
Alcohol and Alcoholism 2006 41(2):151-158; doi:10.1093/alcalc/agh249
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
41/2/151    most recent
agh249v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (7)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by THOMSON, A. D.
Right arrow Articles by MARSHALL, E. J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by THOMSON, A. D.
Right arrow Articles by MARSHALL, E. J.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?


© The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Medical Council on Alcohol. All rights reserved

THE NATURAL HISTORY AND PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF WERNICKE'S ENCEPHALOPATHY AND KORSAKOFF'S PSYCHOSIS

ALLAN D. THOMSON1,2 and E. JANE MARSHALL3,*

1 Molecular Psychiatry Laboratory, Windeyer Institute of Medical Science, Department of Mental Health Sciences, Royal Free and University College London Medical School, 46 Cleveland Street, London WIT 4JF, 2 Kent Institute of Medicine and Health Science, University of Kent at Canterbury and 3 National Addiction Centre, Box 048, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, De Crespigny Park, London SE58AF, UK

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed at: Tel.: +44 207 919 2345; Fax: +44 207 919 2349; E-mail: jane.marshall{at}iop.kcl.ac.uk

(Received 21 December 2004; first review notified 16 February 2005; in revised form 1 November 2005; accepted 2 November 2005)

Aims: To identify the early clinical indications of thiamine deficiency and to understand the factors involved in the development of the amnesic state in alcohol-dependent individuals with thiamine deficiency. It is hoped that this will highlight the need for clinicians to treat alcohol-dependent patients prophylactically with parenteral thiamine and thus prevent the development of Korsakoff's Psychosis (KP). Method: We have reviewed the natural history and pathophysiology of Wernicke's Encephalopathy (WE) in both human and animal studies together with any contributory factors that may predispose the individual to thiamine deficiency. A further understanding of these problems is provided by recent studies into the metabolic consequences of thiamine deficiency and alcohol misuse. Conclusions: Where WE is due to thiamine deficiency alone (i.e. in the absence of alcohol misuse) KP rarely supervenes following thiamine replacement therapy. Successful treatment or prophylaxis of WE in alcohol dependence probably depends on a number of inter-related issues and is not simply a matter of early and adequate thiamine treatment. If sufficient alcohol-related neurotoxicity has occurred by the time of diagnosis, then this may be the more important or limiting factor with respect to the long-term outcome. This possible obstacle to complete recovery should not prevent every attempt being made to provide the patient with optimum brain thiamine replacement.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Alcohol AlcoholHome page
E. V. Sullivan and A. Pfefferbaum
Neuroimaging of the Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome
Alcohol Alcohol., March 1, 2009; 44(2): 155 - 165.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Alcohol AlcoholHome page
E. J. Marshall, I. Guerrini, and A. D. Thomson
Introduction to This Issue: The Seven Ages of Man ... (or Woman)
Alcohol Alcohol., March 1, 2009; 44(2): 106 - 107.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 AM J ALZHEIMERS DIS OTHER DEMENHome page
K. S. Tanev, M. Roether, and C. Yang
Alcohol Dementia and Thermal Dysregulation: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias, January 1, 2009; 23(6): 563 - 570.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Neurol. Neurosurg. PsychiatryHome page
A McKeon, M A Frye, and N. Delanty
The alcohol withdrawal syndrome
J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, August 1, 2008; 79(8): 854 - 862.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 BMJHome page
A. J R Parker, E J. Marshall, and D. M Ball
Diagnosis and management of alcohol use disorders
BMJ, March 1, 2008; 336(7642): 496 - 501.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Alcohol AlcoholHome page
A. D. Thomson, C. C. H. Cook, I. Guerrini, D. Sheedy, C. Harper, and E. J. Marshall
Wernicke's encephalopathy: 'plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose'
Alcohol Alcohol., March 1, 2008; 43(2): 180 - 186.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 NeurologyHome page
A. Serra, G. Sechi, S. Singh, and A. Kumar
WERNICKE ENCEPHALOPATHY AFTER OBESITY SURGERY: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
Neurology, August 7, 2007; 69(6): 615 - 616.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Alcohol AlcoholHome page
O. YALDIZLI, F. M. WURST, S. EULER, B. WILLI, and G. WIESBECK
MULTIPLE CEREBRAL METASTASES MIMICKING WERNICKE'S ENCEPHALOPATHY IN A CHRONIC ALCOHOLIC
Alcohol Alcohol., November 1, 2006; 41(6): 678 - 680.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.