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Implicit Memory in Korsakoff’s Syndrome: A Review of Procedural Learning and Priming Studies

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Abstract

Korsakoff’s syndrome (KS) is characterized by dense anterograde amnesia resulting from damage to the diencephalon region, typically resulting from chronic alcohol abuse and thiamine deficiency. This review assesses the integrity of the implicit memory system in KS, focusing on studies of procedural learning and priming. KS patients are impaired on several measures of procedural memory, most likely due to impairment in cognitive functions associated with alcohol-related neural damage outside of the diencephalon. The pattern of performance on tasks of implicit priming suggests reliance on a residual, non-flexible memory operating more or less in an automatic fashion. Our review concludes that whether measures of implicit memory reveal intact or impaired performance in individuals with KS depends heavily on specific task parameters and demands, including timing between stimuli, the specific nature of the stimuli used in a task, and the integrity of supportive cognitive functions necessary for performance.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Kathleen Moriarty for assistance with preparation of the Tables. We would also like to acknowledge Laird S. Cermak, whose scope of work reviewed in the current paper served as a reminder of his impressive contributions to memory research. This work was supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Research & Development Service Career Development Award to Scott Hayes; VA Clinical Science Research & Development Service Merit Review award to Regina McGlinchey; VA RR&D TBI Center of Excellence: Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS) (B6796-C) to Regina McGlinchey and William Milberg; and NIH NIA K01AG024898 to Catherine Fortier.

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Hayes, S.M., Fortier, C.B., Levine, A. et al. Implicit Memory in Korsakoff’s Syndrome: A Review of Procedural Learning and Priming Studies. Neuropsychol Rev 22, 132–153 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-012-9204-3

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