title: Vasopressin secretion and memory impairment in alcoholic Korsakoff's syndrome.
abstract: The response of arginine vasopressin (AVP) to an intravenous hypertonic saline infusion was investigated in 19 patients with alcoholic Korsakoff's syndrome, 17 non-amnesic alcoholics and 21 non-alcoholic controls. Compared with non-alcoholic controls the Korsakoff patients had elevated basal AVP levels and showed erratic fluctuation of AVP secretion, not related to changes in serum sodium levels. The non-amnesic alcoholics had a similar, but less severe derangement. Neuropsychological tests revealed significant correlations between basal AVP levels and memory performance in the non-amnesic alcoholics, raising the possibility of a common lesion--most likely in the diencephalon--for memory impairment and AVP dysregulation in chronic alcoholics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Emsley
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aalbers
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Taljaard
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kapnias
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Pieters
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Kotze
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000425:Alcohol Amnestic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin / Q000097:blood*; D004027:Diencephalon / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012462:Saline Solution, Hypertonic; D014882:Water-Electrolyte Balance / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D012462:Saline Solution, Hypertonic; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin