Which combination best captures the Korsakoff syndrome features described in the case?

• A. Short-term memory loss and confabulation
• B. Long-term memory loss and mood swings
• C. Visual hallucinations and grandiosity
• D. Motor symptoms and apraxia

Answer: (A)

Korsakoff syndrome is defined by a severe problem with forming new memories (anterograde, or short-term memory) often accompanied by confabulation, where the person fills memory gaps with invented details. This memory profile—notably the combination of short-term memory loss with confabulation—is the hallmark you’d expect from the case, reflecting the damage typical in thiamine deficiency affecting memory encoding and retrieval.

Other patterns don’t fit Korsakoff as well: long-term memory loss with mood swings would suggest a different dementia or mood-related disorder, visual hallucinations with grandiosity points more toward a primary psychotic or affective condition, and motor symptoms with apraxia align with motor or neurodegenerative disorders rather than the memory-encoding focus of Korsakoff.