THE CONTRIBUTION OF ALCOHOL, THIAMINE-DEFICIENCY AND CIRRHOSIS OF THELIVER TO CEREBRAL CORTICAL DAMAGE IN ALCOHOLICS

The relative roles of alcohol toxicity, thiamine deficiency and cirrho sis of the liver in the pathogenesis of alcohol-related brain damage a re unclear. Brain shrinkage and neuronal loss from four regions of the cortex was determined in 22 alcoholics with the Wernicke-Korsakoff Sy ndrome (WKS), cirrhosis of the liver or neither of these complications and compared to 22 age-matched non-alcoholic controls. Brain shrinkag e was most marked in those alcoholics with WKS. Neuronal loss occurred only from the superior cortex and was of equal magnitude in all alcoh olic subgroups. In an animal model of alcohol abuse and thiamine defic iency, neuronal loss from the cerebral cortex occurred in a time-depen dent manner. Furthermore, those cells which contained the calcium-bind ing protein parvalbumin appeared to be preferentially damaged in this model.