Researchers used MRI to compare the brains of five men with alcoholic Korsakoff's syndrome to 20 men with Alzheimer's disease and 36 healthy men. The brains of all Korsakoff's patients and Alzheimer's patients were comparable in
Researchers used MRI to compare the brains of five men with alcoholic Korsakoff's syndrome to 20 men with Alzheimer's disease and 36 healthy men. The brains of all Korsakoff's patients and Alzheimer's patients were comparable in significant volume loss in the hippocampus, which plays an important role in memory functions. Greater hippocampal damage was correlated to a higher memory deterioration index score for the Korsakoff's patients. The study authors also reported a similar correlation in Alzheimer's patients, where poor memory performance correlated with smaller hippocampal size.
"Awareness of the clinical and radiological similarities between Korsakoff's syndrome and Alzheimer's disease may help with the detection of each," said study author Edith V. Sullivan, PhD, of Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, Calif. "Although controversial, we beli