What is the Korsakoff syndrome? – a paper in tribute to Prof Alwyn Lishman

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction Alwyn Lishman was interested in how memory research could be applied to clinical psychiatry. After a brief review of his major contributions, this paper will focus on his research on the alcoholic Korsakoff syndrome. It will consider how his findings relate to contemporary debates, particularly on how the syndrome should be defined, and its relationship to broader alcohol-induced cognitive impairments. Methods A review of the contribution of Alwyn Lishman, Robin Jacobson and colleagues to our knowledge of Korsakoff’s syndrome, together with a review of the pertinent recent literature. Results Lishman and colleagues followed earlier authors in defining the Korsakoff syndrome in terms of disproportionate memory impairment, but they also noted a variable degree of IQ, frontal-executive, and timed visuo-spatial impairment in their cases. More recent authors have included such features in their definitions of the syndrome. Lishman also argued for a specific “alcoholic dementia”. The present paper argues that recent definitions of the Korsakoff syndrome confound its core and associated features, and also fail to recognise the multifactorial basis of alcohol-related brain damage. Conclusions Korsakoff’s syndrome is best defined in terms of disproportionate memory impairment, and more widespread cognitive impairment is best encompassed within “alcohol-related brain damage”.