Alcoholics with Wernicke-Korsakoff’s syndrome have shown a significant decrease in Purkinje cell density in the cerebellar vermis and molecular layer volume (Baker et al 1999). A significant reduction in Purkinje cell numbers in the flocculi suggests disruption of vestibulocerebellar pathways. This is of particular interest given recent data showing the importance of the cerebellum in the organization of higher order cerebral functions (Schmahmann and Sherman 1998; Schmahmann 2000; Sullivan et al 2003).
