The clinical observation that patients with an alcohol amnestic disorder get grey hair at a higher age was investigated by comparing a group of Korsakov patients and patients with alcohol abuse with a reference sample from the literature. Korsakoff patients appeared to be significantly less grey than age-matched alcoholics and controls. Some putative etiological factors including the mechanism of apoptosis are discussed.

Oosterman JM, de Goede M, Wester AJ, van Zandvoort MJE, Kessels RPC. Perspective taking in Korsakoff's syndrome: the role of executive functioning and task complexity.

Objective: The ability to make inferences about knowledge, thoughts and feelings of others, i.e. perspective taking, is a key element of social cognition. Clinical observations indicate that Korsakoff patients may have impairments in social cognition, but studies are scarce. Also, executive dysfunction is present in Korsakoff patients, which may hamper perspective taking directly.

Methods: Twenty-three patients with Korsakoff's syndrome and 15 healthy matched controls were examined on a story comprehension task, in which inferences had to be made that either relied on perspective taking or not. The effects of task complexity were taken into account and executive function was assessed using an extensive neuropsychological test battery.

Results: The performance of Korsakoff patients declined with increasing complexity, but the pattern of decline for perspective-taking and non-perspective-taking stories was similar compared to that of the control group. Furthermore, the performance decline with increasing task complexity was directly related to the overall decline in executive functioning.

Conclusion: Executive dysfunction, not deficits in perspective taking per se, appears to underlie difficulties in story comprehension in patients with Korsakoff's syndrome.

The cognitive symptoms that characterise the Wernicke-Korsakoff's syndrome include anterograde amnesia, confabulation, temporal–spatial disorientation, severe apathy, poor awareness of one's own mental state and changes in executive functions. Such deficits may persist even after the clinical profile stabilises. There are no studies that report an intervention after the acute phase, possibly due to the complexity of these cases. This study provides a descriptive analysis of neuropsychological rehabilitation concomitant to the neurological and psychiatric treatment of a woman who presented the symptoms described by Korsakoff. The intervention focused on reducing the impact caused by the cognitive and behavioural sequelae in the patient's daily life. It described a 25-week neuropsychological program, providing education and compensatory strategies for the patient, and also orientation and support from 2 professional caregivers and family members. Quantitative and qualitative measures were used to evaluate the effect of the intervention on memory efficacy, emotional state and social participation. Both caregivers reported a decrease in the frequency of memory lapses after treatment. Positive changes were also seen in self-care, activities at home, decision-making and participation in social activities. It is concluded that this case achieved results through the collaboration between members of an interdisciplinary team and caregivers providing daily support.