Korsakoff syndrome

noun

variants or Korsakoff's syndrome also Korsakoff psychosis or Korsakoff's psychosis

: a chronic memory disorder that is caused by brain damage related to a severe deficiency of thiamine (as that associated with alcoholism or malnutrition) and is characterized by impaired ability to form new memories and by memory loss for which the patient often attempts to compensate through confabulation

Note: Korsakoff syndrome is frequently preceded by Wernicke's encephalopathy.