CHAPTER 32: Wernicke's Encephalopathy caused by Thiamine (Vitamin B₁) Deficiency

Wernicke's encephalopathy, a neurological disorder caused by thiamine deficiency, results in alterations in brain function and structural damage. Impaired oxidative metabolism in thiamine deficiency due to decreased activity of thiamine-dependent enzymes leads to a series of events in the brain that include focal decreases in energy status, oxidative stress, lactic acidosis, astrocyte dysfunction, glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity and inflammation. This chapter discusses our current understanding of the basis of these abnormal processes in thiamine deficiency and why this disorder can be useful for our understanding of the relationship between impaired energy metabolism and cell death in neurodegenerative disease states.