[Neuropsychology of Korsakoff's syndrome].

The main manifestation of Korsakoff's syndrome is a disproportionate impairment in memory in comparison to other cognitive functions. Most prominent is anterograde amnesia for both verbal and nonverbal information. The marked sensitivity to interference is the main characteristic of memory impairment of these patients. Retrograde amnesia is also a typical feature of this disorder. Memory for autobiographical information as well as knowledge of public events and facts are affected and they have a temporal gradient. Confabulations may also occur but they are not specific to Korsakoff's syndrome. Together with the disproportionate deficits in memory that define this disorder, different grades of involvement of other cognitive disorders are observed. The aim of this paper is to review the most important neuropsychological features of Korsakoff's syndrome and to discuss the hypotheses on it.