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Wet Brain and Alcoholism Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome

Wernicke encephalopathy usually occurs first and causes damage to the thalamus and hypothalamus, which are in the lower part of the brain. “Wet brain” is a term used to describe the chronic brain disorder, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome or Korsakoff’s psychosis. Thiamine is mostly found in the brain, kidneys, liver, and heart. This explains why individuals with wet brain syndrome have a variety of serious medical issues. Heart and nervous system cells are extremely sensitive to a thiamine deficiency.

If your brain is turning into mush, you’re not alone – KNWA

If your brain is turning into mush, you’re not alone.

Posted: Wed, 06 May 2020 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Again, a wet brain occurs following a severe deficiency of vitamin B1 in your system. Lesions form on the brain that causes a variety of difficult symptoms. These symptoms develop mush brain over a few days or weeks, and they get progressively worse. Even if a person is diagnosed with wet brain, it may still be very difficult for them to abstain from consuming alcohol.

Can You Reverse Wet Brain?

Research conducted by the Alzheimer’s Association estimates that when caught early enough, approximately 25 percent of people will recover, 50 percent will improve and 25 percent will stay the same. However, once the syndrome has progressed to the point of no return—no new memories or experiences, no reversing the symptoms—the disease is generally fatal. The grim reality of chronic alcohol abuse is that the body can only handle so much; and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is a tragic, heartbreaking consequence of the abusive nature of alcoholism. A failure to diagnose this syndrome leads to death in 20 percent of cases, and long-term brain damage in 75 percent. Brain mush can be caused by many things, including poor nutrition, a sleep disroder, or alcohol abuse.

brain is mush

This is part of our ongoing commitment to ensure FHE Health is trusted as a leader in mental health and addiction care. It is a serious disease that requires professional treatment. For those who’ve been diagnosed with the syndrome, the goal is improving symptoms and delaying disease progression. The brain is actually made of lots of tiny parts called neurons. When you were born, you had many more of these neurons than you do today.

Especially Fitting Common Names for Plants

Stroll through a park for five minutes, look out the window and watch some trees blowing in the wind, or notice the reflections in a puddle for a minute or two. “Bottom-up attention is relaxing and restorative, because you’re allowing your mind to be gently pulled by your senses, while top-down attention requires pushing,” explains Dr. Gazzaley. Once you have recognized the symptoms of the wet brain in yourself or someone close to you, it is important to get treatment as soon as possible. Without treatment, a wet brain can cause life-threatening brain damage. With treatment, however, symptoms can be controlled, and the syndrome can likely be stopped.

Because today I am writing about an ancient ruin within our own country. Experts are keen to warn those taking psychiatric medication of potentially dangerous risks to physical health in hot climates. ‘We know that even the smallest fluctuation in active levels can have a significant effect on mood,’ says Prof Harley. ‘Heatwaves have a significant impact on mental health,’ Dr Laurence Wainwright, an expert in environmental health from the University of Oxford, says.

Symptoms of Wernicke Encephalopathy

On the other hand, chronic alcoholics, or those who consistently drink for many years and never enter alcohol rehab, are likely to suffer symptoms of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Korsakoff syndrome should not be confused with Alzheimer’s disease. Although these two disorders share similarities involving memory and cognitive problems, people with early to moderate stage Korsakoff syndrome can still socialize and perform basic daily tasks. It is possible to have a normal conversation with someone with Korsakoff syndrome, but that person will probably not remember the conversation an hour or two later. Wernicke’s encephalopathy affects the individual’s nervous system. A combination of Wernicke encephalopathy and Korsakoff syndrome is diagnosed in alcoholics suffering a long-term, vitamin B deficiency and alcohol-induced damage to their brain.

  • The primary symptoms of the wet brain can be broken down into two categories since it is really the occurrence of two separate syndromes.
  • “Bottom-up attention is ancient and is driven by stimuli you take in through your senses, so the natural world is an ideal place to experience it,” he says.
  • Brain drain impairs you physically, too, reducing endurance and performance in everyone from soccer players and boxers to swimmers and cyclists.