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Each of these enzymes
consists of several components that must be assembled to yield the functional
enzyme, and the addition of thiamine is a critical step in this assembly process. As a result, thiamine deficiency causes suboptimal levels of functional enzymes
in the cell, in addition to interfering with the activity of those enzymes. Wet brain, which is also known as Wernicke Korsakoff syndrome (WKS) and water brain, is a disorder of the brain caused by vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency. This disorder is typically seen in the chronic stages of alcoholism and is caused by alcohol use and poor nutrition. Alcohol causes levels of thiamine to be depleted, as the enzymes that turn thiamine into a compound the body can use cannot work when someone drinks large amounts of alcohol consistently. In many ways, a person struggling with alcohol addiction and showing symptoms of second-phase wet brain acts much like someone with Alzheimer’s disease.
- Treatment for Wernicke’s encephalopathy is only effective if a person stops drinking.
- People with Korsakoff psychosis often experience confabulation, a condition in which someone subconsciously makes new memories to fill in gaps in the memory.
- Thus, the thiamine–using
enzymes play numerous vital roles in the functioning of cells, and particularly
of neurons. - While wet brain is not something that can be cured, doctors can reverse some of the symptoms or at least slow the progression of the disorder if they can intervene quickly enough.
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What is wet brain and how does it happen?
There are enzymes in the brain that need thiamine, including several critical neurotransmitters. When someone doesn’t get enough thiamine over a long period of time, they will develop brain damage or wet brain. With early intervention and thorough treatment, substance abuse physicians can halt the progression of the condition and prevent further damage. Here, at AspenRidge Recovery, we can help you treat an alcohol addiction.
- By this point, patients have sustained a significant amount of brain damage.
- According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 80% of people with alcohol use disorder have a thiamine deficiency.
- Moreover, processing of the samples being studied
could have modified and deactivated the transketolase.
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Other symptoms of wet brain can include:
These include memory screenings, cognitive tests, labs to determine thiamine levels, eye exams and walking tests. Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, also commonly known as wet brain, is a disease that affects the brain, memory, vision and coordination. Vitamin B helps the brain turn sugar into energy, which is needed for the brain and nervous system to function properly. Not having enough can lead to the two stage disease, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.