Korsakoff’s psychosis is due to deficiency of: September 2003, March 2013 (b)
## **Core Concept**
Korsakoff's psychosis, also known as Korsakoff's syndrome, is a neurological disorder caused by the lack of thiamine (vitamin B1). This condition is often associated with chronic alcohol misuse but can also result from other causes of malnutrition. Thiamine plays a critical role in brain function and carbohydrate metabolism.
## **Why the Correct Answer is Right**
The correct answer, thiamine (vitamin B1), is implicated in Korsakoff's psychosis because thiamine is essential for the decarboxylation of alpha-ketoglutarate in the Krebs cycle and for the synthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. A deficiency in thiamine leads to impaired glucose metabolism in the brain, resulting in damage to brain regions critical for memory formation, such as the hippocampus and mammillary bodies. This damage manifests clinically as anterograde and retrograde amnesia, confusion, and fabrication of memories (confabulation).
## **Why Each Wrong Option is Incorrect**
- **Option A:** While certain deficiencies can lead to neurological symptoms, the specific link between Korsakoff's psychosis and a particular vitamin deficiency makes this option incorrect if it does not specify thiamine.
- **Option B:** This option might refer to another vitamin or nutrient, but without specifying thiamine, it is incorrect.
- **Option C:** Similarly, this could refer to various nutrients but is incorrect if it does not pertain to thiamine.
## **Clinical Pearl / High-Yield Fact**
A key clinical pearl is that Korsakoff's psychosis often follows Wernicke's encephalopathy, another condition caused by thiamine deficiency. Wernicke's encephalopathy presents with the classic triad of confusion, ophthalmoplegia, and ataxia. Early recognition and treatment of Wernicke's encephalopathy with thiamine can prevent the progression to Korsakoff's psychosis.
## **Correct Answer:** D. Thiamine.