Is Karsakoff's syndrome similar in etiology to Alzheimer's?

I know that Karsakoff's syndrome has been strongly linked to vitamin B1 (thiamine). Is anyone up on the current research on the etiology of Alzheimers?

No these are completely different entities as far as etiology and symptoms are concerned. Alzheimer's dementia is attributed to prions and Korsakoff is usually the end result of thiamine deficiency (usually in chronic alcoholics) and involves atrophy of the mamillary processes in the brain. Also, the dementia is different and Wernicke-Korsakoff encephalopathy can cause incontinence and confabulations that is different from the memory loss pattern in Alzheimers.

Korsakoff syndrome is due to thiamine deficiency from alcoholism causing a triad of confabulation in speech, amnesia and memory loss due to damage selective areas in the brain such as the medial thalamus, mamillary bodies and brain atrophy.

Alzheimers disease is associated with memory loss, social decline and the damage is to the memory circuits. It may be due to Chromosomal abnormalites eg the one in Down Syndrome 21, other causes includes chromosomal19, 13, 1. This is thought to be due to damage to certain proteins that result in nerve damage and accumulation of amyloid plaques. The areas of the brain damaged is larger such as the temporal and parietal lobes and resultant generalized brain atrophy