The diencephalon, a region nestled in the center of the brain, acts like a way station for nerve signals moving from one area of the brain to another. Although it is not known precisely what role diencephalic structures play in human memory functioning, lesions in this region have been clearly documented in amnesic patients (Victor et al. 1989). Researchers are not certain whether alcohol-related memory impairments are caused by these lesions, however. An alternative explanation comes from a study that compared MRI measures of diencephalic damage in alcoholics with and without KS (Blansjaar et al. 1992). The authors suggested that diencephalic lesions develop regardless of whether patients acquire the amnesia of KS and are not so much typical of KS as they are of chronic alcoholism and malnutrition.
