Korsakoff's syndrome: A study of the relation between anterograde amnesia and remote memory impairment.

Evaluated 8 patients (average age 53.8 yrs) with Korsakoff's syndrome, using 9 tests of new learning ability and 3 tests of remote memory to determine the correlation between anterograde amnesia (AGA) and remote memory impairment (RMI). There was no correlation between the severity of AGA and either the overall severity of RMI or the impairment observed for more remote time periods. However, the correlation between RMI and AGA became progressively stronger with the recency of the time period. The results support the view that the extensive RMI in Korsakoff's syndrome is, at least in part, distinct from and unrelated to AGA. The more severe impairment observed for more recent time periods could be related to AGA in that it reflects AGA that was either already in place or progressively developing during recent years. The ability to recall remote events seems therefore to depend on brain mechanisms distinct from those required for new learning or for recall of more recent events. (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)