title: Profile of cognitive dysfunction and relation with gait disturbance in Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although dementia is one of the most relevant symptoms of the idiopathic Normal-Pressure Hydrocephalus (iNPH) syndrome, some doubts remain about the nature of cognitive deficits in this disease. We aimed to determine the neuropsychological profile in iNPH and its relation with ventricular size, white matter vascular lesions (WML) and gait dysfunction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventeen iNPH patients and a control group (n=14) were assessed with a battery of neuropsychological tests and a timed walk test. We calculated measures of frontal horn, occipital horn and third ventricle sizes and assessed white matter lesion (WML) load with a validated visual scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients differed significantly from controls in all cognitive tests, but did worse on the Rey Complex Figure test. We found no significant correlations between cognitive and imaging results in iNPH. Cognitive function was related to gait in controls, but not in iNPH patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients presented widespread cognitive dysfunction with a predominance of visuo-spatial deficits. Dissociation between gait and cognitive dysfunction in iNPH patients suggests the existence of different pathophysiological mechanisms.
authors: Neurology Department, Hospital de Egas Moniz (CHLO), Lisboa, Portugal; Neurology Department, Faculty of Medical Sciences, CEDOC, Lisboa, Portugal. Electronic address: paulobugalho@sapo.pt.
authors: Paulo
authors: P
authors: Bugalho
authors: Neurology Department, Hospital de Egas Moniz (CHLO), Lisboa, Portugal; Neurology Department, Faculty of Medical Sciences, CEDOC, Lisboa, Portugal.
authors: Luísa
authors: L
authors: Alves
authors: Neurology Department, Hospital de Egas Moniz (CHLO), Lisboa, Portugal.
authors: Rita
authors: R
authors: Miguel
authors: Neurology Department, Hospital de Egas Moniz (CHLO), Lisboa, Portugal.
authors: Olga
authors: O
authors: Ribeiro
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D006850:Hydrocephalus, Normal Pressure / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D013028:Space Perception; D057190:Stroop Test; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D014888:Wechsler Scales
keywords: Cognitive dysfunction; Executive dysfunction; Gait disorders; Normal-Pressure Hydrocephalus; Visuo-spatial dysfunction