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Updated: Jul 26, 2026
12:49
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) of Wernicke's and Broca's Areas in Studies of Language Learning and Word Acquisition
Published on: July 13, 2019
Wernicke's encephalopathy
1University of Alabama School of Medicine, Tuscaloosa.
American Family Physician
|April 1, 1990
Summary
Wernicke
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Internal Medicine
Background:
- Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is a serious neurological condition.
- It is caused by thiamine deficiency, often linked to alcohol abuse.
- Classic symptoms may be absent, complicating diagnosis.
Observation:
- Comatose and hypothermic patients are at risk.
- Diagnostic challenges arise when typical WE signs are missing.
- History of alcohol abuse or thiamine deficiency may be unknown.
Findings:
- Untreated WE has a significant mortality rate (17%).
- Parenteral thiamine administration can reverse WE morbidity.
- High doses of thiamine are safe and well-tolerated.
Implications:
- Consider WE in undiagnosed comatose/hypothermic patients.
- Administer parenteral thiamine before glucose in at-risk patients.
- Early thiamine treatment improves outcomes and reduces mortality.
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