Wernicke’s encephalopathy — from basic science to clinical practice. Part 1: Understanding the role of thiamine

• Published in: Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology Vol. 10; p. 2045125320978106
• Main Authors: Ott, Michael, Werneke, Ursula
• Format: Book Review Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 2020; Sage Publications Ltd; SAGE Publishing
• Subjects: beriberi; Clinical medicine; Dementia; Korsakoff syndrome; magnesium; Review; thiamine; thiamine deficiency; Vitamin B; vitamin B1; Wernicke encephalopathy; beriberi; Korsakoff syndrome; vitamin B1; thiamine; magnesium; thiamine deficiency; Wernicke encephalopathy

Wernicke’s encephalopathy (WE) is an acute neuropsychiatric state. Untreated, WE can lead to coma or death, or progress to Korsakoff syndrome (KS) – a dementia characterized by irreversible loss of anterograde memory. Thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency lies at the heart of this condition. Yet, our und...