Conditions That Cause Confabulation

Korsakoff Syndrome

Korsakoff syndrome is a type of extreme memory impairment that occurs due to the extreme lack of thiamine (vitamin B1). While it frequently is the result of alcoholism, there are other causes, such as chronic infections, cancer, and poor nutrition. Individuals with Korsakoff syndrome are more likely to have spontaneous confabulation instead of provoked confabulation. This means their false memories show up seemingly out of nowhere. Instead of being provoked by an inability to remember something or a recent event, the confabulations have no obvious link to a memory the individual cannot recall. Patients with this condition often have Wernicke encephalopathy too, which is a type of swelling in the brain that causes trouble moving and seeing properly, and it happens when the vitamin B1 deficiency progresses.

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