Series One: Synthesis: Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome
Disclaimer: I am a high school student, not a medical professional. If you believe you are experiencing one of these conditions then, please seek a professional’s opinion. Thanks.
Lately, I have begun a quest to find what makes forgetting possible. I thought that it occurred when your bain deemed something unworthy or had no space left, so, a purge of information occurred. However, an article by Joseph Heath has changed my mind. The article “Absent-Minded Professor — or Inconsiderate Boor?” asked the question that had been on my mind. Heath proposed that forgetting is often a Freudian characteristic that involves a hidden social code that all of our subcontinents follow. The whole principle has to do with your status in society. The theory states that if one is well of then one is not punished as severely for forgetting important dates, times, etc. Heath claims that this argument can also be applied to individuals with important positions such as professors. He states that individuals don’t blame professors for not retaining meetings or sticking to deadlines because they have so many other important thoughts floating through their heads.
But, how can we connect this theory to hard, cold science? There is no specific support for professors having a Freudian flaw. However, there are some examples of how the theory that Heath proposes works if we tweak it a little.
During my research for an academic paper supporting Mr. Heath’s theory, I found one written on a condition called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Turns out that Freud could have been right. The syndrome affects individuals whose main source of food is polished rice or, for individuals that live in more developed countries, people who are alcoholic, have an eating disorder, are on dialysis and/or chemotherapy (NIH Staff). As one can see, the issues associated with Korsakoff syndrome are related to one's social-economical standing. Acholholishm typically effects blue-collar workers, and individuals that live in impoverished countries face the issues of malnourishment. Whereas an individual with an eating disorder may struggle with their appearance which, intern, could also explain the social standing theory that Mr. Heath proposes.
Korsakoff syndrome is triggered by a lack of vitamin B1or thiamine that effects the brain in a very unique way. The lack of this specific vitamin causes the brain to struggle to learn new concepts. However the memories of years prior are still preserved so, “an individual may remember what occurred 20 years previously, but be unable to remember what occurred 20 minutes previously”(Carson-DeWitt). The memories are typically affected are those of short-term or of extraordinary recency.
This is an exceptionally important point in the conversation about the memory disorders for youth. Even in the developed world, food deserts and food availability cause great dismay to many low-income families. A lack of body positivity also has a large magnitude of control over younger generations when they chose whether to eat or skip a meal. This syndrome affects individuals with a severe lack of vitamin B1, but it is also another example of how the poverty cycle is not as easily broken on its own and societies perception of the ideal image of a human can cause more damage than its worth.
The individuals with the lack of thiamine struggle to learn new concepts and can experience a peculiar symptom called “confabulation,” (Carson-DeWitt). The individuals will struggle to prosses new information, instead, they fabricate memories to take its place. An individual with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome may, “insist that a doctor to whom he/she has just been introduced is actually an old high school classmate, and may have a lengthy story to back this up” (Carson-DeWitt). Memories that are fabricated by an individual can cause severe damage to the entire ethos of their mind.
The importance of recognizing the fact that syndromes like this exist plays into part of how society deals with memory disorders. The typical assumption that individuals make when it comes to memory loss is that it affects the older generations. However, the norms need to change. Let's redefine what age a memory disorder occurs to allow more individuals to save themselves form conditions such as “wet brain”.
Citations:
- Carson-DeWitt, Rosalyn. “Korsakoff’s syndrome.” The Gale Encyclopedia of Science, edited by K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, 5th ed., Gale, 2014. Science In Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CV2644031262/SCIC?u=olat54637&sid=SCIC&xid=5c8c3c82. Accessed 6 Dec. 2018.
- Heath, Joseph. “Absent-Minded Professor — or Inconsiderate Boor?” The Chronicle of Higher Education, 24 Nov. 2017, p. B4+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A521875533/OVIC?u=olat54637&sid=OVIC&xid=056794a9. Accessed 30 Oct. 2018.
- NIH Staff. “Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome Information Page.” National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/all-disorders/wernicke-korsakoff-syndrome-information-page.
