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Memory effect of dl-threo-3,4-dihydroxyphenylserine (DOPS) in human Korsakoff's disease

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Abstract

A group of amnesic patients with Korsakoff's disease were treated with a single 1 g dose of dl-threo-3,4-dihydroxyphenylserine (DOPS) and placebo (lactose) in a double-blind crossover study. Three hours following administration, patients were given a battery of psychometric tests to determine the effects of the treatment on memory functions. Administration of DOPS had a significant effect on performance on the Memory Passages test but not on any of the other measures of memory. The effect of DOPS on Memory Passages is similar to the response observed following administration of clonidine in Korsakoff patients. Blood pressure and pulse, measured before and every 2 h after treatment, were unaffected by DOPS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Service (151C), Veterans Administration Medical Center, 02401, Brockton, MA, USA

    Philip J. Langlais, Robert G. Mair & Paul J. Whalen

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, 02114, Boston, MA, USA

    Philip J. Langlais, Robert G. Mair & William McCourt

  3. Department of Psychology, Conant Hall, University of New Hampshire, 03824, Durham, NH, USA

    Robert G. Mair

  4. Alcohol Treatment Unit, Veterans Administration Medical Center, 02401, Brockton, MA, USA

    William McCourt

  5. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, 02912, Providence, RI, USA

    William J. McEntee

Authors
  1. Philip J. Langlais
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  2. Robert G. Mair
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  3. Paul J. Whalen
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  4. William McCourt
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  5. William J. McEntee
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Langlais, P.J., Mair, R.G., Whalen, P.J. et al. Memory effect of dl-threo-3,4-dihydroxyphenylserine (DOPS) in human Korsakoff's disease. Psychopharmacology 95, 250–254 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00174518

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00174518

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