Korsakoff's syndrome is a manifestation of
Wernicke's encephalopathy, also called Wernicke's disease. It happens in Wernicke's disease in almost all alcohol abusers. It is rare among the other patients, but, for example, some cases have been observed after bariatric surgeries, when deficiency was not prevented by use of nutritional supplements. This neurological disorder is caused by a lack of
thiamine (vitamin B1) in the
brain, and is also often exacerbated by the neurotoxic effects of alcohol. When
Wernicke's encephalopathy accompanies Korsakoff's syndrome, the combination is called the
Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Korsakoff's is a continuum of
Wernicke's encephalopathy or disease, though a recognized episode of Wernicke's is not always obvious. The
syndrome is named after
Sergei Korsakoff, a Russian
neuropsychiatrist who discovered the syndrome during the late 19th century.