Korsakoff’s psychosis /kôr″səkôfs/ [Sergei S. Korsakoff, Russian psychiatrist, 1854–1900] , a form of amnesia often seen in chronic alcoholics that is characterized by a loss of short-term memory and an inability to learn new skills. The person is usually disoriented, may present with delirium and hallucinations, and confabulates to conceal the condition. The cause of the condition can often be traced to degenerative changes in the thalamus as a result of a deficiency of B complex vitamins, especially thiamine and B12. Deficits are often permanent. Compare Wernicke’s encephalopathy.
