Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome

[ vair-ni-kuh-kawr-suh-kawf, -kof ]

noun

1. a disorder of the central nervous system characterized by abnormal eye movements, incoordination, confusion, and impaired memory and learning functions, caused by thiamine deficiency, and observed in chronic alcoholism.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome¹

1965–70; named after German neurologist Karl Wernicke (1848–1905) and Russian psychiatrist Sergeĭ Sergeevich Korsakov (1854–1900), who independently described it