27. Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
1 - Predilection sites
2 - Causes and clinical course
3 - Pathology responsible for autistic traits
4 - More than a hundred years of evidence
5 - Wernicke's encephalopathy in animals
6 - Catastrophic impairment
7 - Mechanisms of damage
References
Notes
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Abnormalities of the cerebellum, inferior olives, and hippocampus have been
reported in people with autism, and these same sites are affected in Wernicke's
encephalopathy and in cases of Korsakoff's syndrome, the long-term outcome of
chronic alcoholism. The finding of autism among children with prenatal exposure
to alcohol suggests a link between damage caused by alcohol and brain systems
involved in autistic behaviors. The primary sites affected in Wernicke's
encephalopathy, thiamine deficiency, toxic substances, and asphyxia are
bilaterally symmetric, and involve brainstem nuclei now known to have higher
blood flow and metabolism than anywhere else in the brain.
Research