Red cell choline in Korsakoff psychosis.

Red blood cell (RBC) choline was measured in 48 male patients with Korsakoff psychosis secondary to alcoholism and in 19 age-matched male controls using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The variance in RBC choline was significantly different between Korsakoff patients and controls (p less than 0.002). RBC choline was significantly higher in Korsakoff patients compared with controls (p less than 0.02). There was no significant correlation between age and RBC choline. Higher RBC choline levels suggest differences in membrane transport properties. Differences in membrane properties may indicate a neuronal membrane vulnerability to the toxic effect of alcohol or to thiamine deficiency which lead to the degenerative changes associated with Korsakoff psychosis.