Memory Improvement in Korsakoff's Disease With Fluvoxamine

To the Editor.— In the July 1989 issue of theArchives, Martin et al 1 reported improvement of memory in patients with Korsakoff's psychosis (KP) by treatment with fluvoxamine maleate, a specific serotonin (5-HT) uptake inhibitor. This observation by itself is of interest, but the authors' interpretation of the data deserves comment. Are data available showing the effects of fluvoxamine treatment on memory test performance and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in normal persons? The statistical analyses supporting the conclusions made for subjects with KP should be viewed with considerable caution. Three variables were analyzed: plasma levels of fluvoxamine, degree of improvement on tests of memory, and amount of reduction of CSF 5-HIAA. A total of 15 data points (5 for each variable) were reported; too few to provide a reliable multivariate analysis. Ideally, 20 data points per variable are needed for a sound multivariate analysis, and