Skip to main content

Memantine Usage for Management of Korsakoff Syndrome in the Setting of Chronic Alcohol Use and Unspecified Eating Disorder.

Author
Abstract
:

Korsakoff syndrome is a neuropsychiatric condition frequently seen as a progression of Wernicke's encephalopathy and is often associated with long-term alcohol abuse. It is characterized by further cognitive impairments, such as indiscriminate anterograde and retrograde amnesia, in addition to executive function deficits. As the syndrome is a result of severe thiamine deficiency, its management primarily focuses on nutritional replenishment and electrolyte maintenance. In recent years, a few published reports have detailed the off-label use of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs for Alzheimer's in an attempt to treat neurocognitive deficits associated with Korsakoff patients. In this particular case, we note subjective improvement in cognition after initiating memantine, an N-Methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist.

Year of Publication
:
2021
Journal
:
Cureus
Volume
:
13
Issue
:
3
Number of Pages
:
e13846
Date Published
:
2021
DOI
:
10.7759/cureus.13846
Short Title
:
Cureus
Download citation