Wernicke–Korsakoff syndrome
a syndrome resulting from chronic alcoholism or nutritional insufficiency, associated with deficiency of vitamin B1 (thiamine). The syndrome is characterized by an acute confusional stage, ataxia, and oculomotor problems (see Wernicke’s encephalopathy), followed by chronic changes in mental status and memory (see Korsakoff’s syndrome). Lesions are centered in the midbrain, cerebellum, and diencephalon. [Karl Wernicke; Sergei S. Korsakoff (1854–1900), Russian psychiatrist]