Neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus.
OBJECTIVE
To clarify the characteristics of neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH).


METHODS
Neuropsychiatric symptoms of 64 iNPH patients with mild triad symptoms from three kinds of hospitals were evaluated with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and compared with 126 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD).


RESULTS
The most frequently observed neuropsychiatric symptom in the iNPH patients was apathy followed by anxiety and aggression. No symptom was more prevalent or more severe in iNPH than in AD. The severity of cognitive impairment was correlated with both aberrant motor activity and apathy.


CONCLUSIONS
Neuropsychiatric symptoms were mild in patients with iNPH and apathy was the most prevalent symptom. The correlation between neuropsychiatric symptoms and cognitive impairment in iNPH appears to arise from a common pathology in the frontal lobe.
Kito
Yumiko
Y
Psychiatry, Department of Integrated Medicine, Division of Internal Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, D3 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita-city, Osaka, Japan.
Kazui
Hiroaki
H
Kubo
Yoshihiko
Y
Yoshida
Tetsuhiko
T
Takaya
Masahiko
M
Wada
Tamiki
T
Nomura
Keiko
K
Hashimoto
Mamoru
M
Ohkawa
Shingo
S
Miyake
Hiroji
H
Ishikawa
Masatsune
M
Takeda
Masatoshi
M
D000368:Aged; D000374:Aggression; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology; D001007:Anxiety; D003863:Depression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006850:Hydrocephalus, Normal Pressure / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015995:Prevalence