Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-dfsvx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T23:02:00.540Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Psychiatric Aspects of Normal-Pressure Hydrocephalus

A report of five cases

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 August 2018

J. Pujol
Affiliation:
Division of Psychiatry and Psychology, Provincial Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
S. Leal
Affiliation:
Division of Psychiatry and Psychology, Provincial Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
X. Fluvia
Affiliation:
Division of Psychiatry and Psychology, Provincial Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
C. Conde
Affiliation:
Division of Psychiatry and Psychology, Provincial Hospital, Barcelona, Spain

Extract

Normal-pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) was described in 1964 (Adams, 1965; Hakim, 1965) and defined by the symptom triad: dementia, motor disturbance, and sphincter disturbance. The original publication by Adams already contained a reference to psychiatric symptoms: depression, slowness, hallucinations, and apathy. Rice & Gendelman (1973) reported five cases, and commented on the development of both early cognitive impairment and behavioural regression, suggesting that personality factors might play a role in the appearance of latter symptoms. Trevor et al (1977) described a case suffering from psychotic depression, paranoid symptoms, inadequate affect, and self-destructive behaviour.

Type
II. Biological Aspects
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adams, R. D., Fisher, C. M., Hakim, S., et al (1965) Symptomatic occult hydrocephalus with “normal” cerebrospinal fluid pressure: A treatable syndrome. New England Journal of Medicine, 273, 117126.Google Scholar
Andreasen, N. C. & Keith, S. J. (1983) CT scans and schizophrenia - Report on a workshop. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 8, 265283.Google Scholar
Berglund, M., Gustafson, L. & Hagbeg, B. (1979) Amnesicconfabulatory syndrome in hydrocephalic dementia and Korsakoff's psychosis in alcoholism. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 60, 323333.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dewan, M. J. & Bick, P. A. (1985) Normal pressure hydrocephalus and psychiatric patients. Biological Psychiatry, 20, 11271131.Google Scholar
Fisher, C. M. (1977) The clinical posture in occult hydrocephalus. Clinical Neurosurgery, 24, 279284.Google Scholar
Greenberg, J. O., Shenkin, H. A. & Adam, R. (1977) Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus: a report of 73 patients. Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery Psychiatry, 40, 336341.Google Scholar
Hakim, S. (1965) Algunas observaciones sobre la presion del L. C. R., Sindrome hidrocehalico en el adulto con presion normal del L.C.R. (Presentacion de un nuevo sindrome). Tesis de Grado. Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Javierana. Bogota (Colombia).Google Scholar
Katzman, R. (1978) Normal pressure hydrocephalus. In Alzheimer's Disease: Senile Dementia and Related Disorders (eds R. Katzman, R. D. Terry & K. L. Bick) pp. 115123. New York: Raven Press.Google Scholar
Lyng-Tunell, U. (1979) Psychotic symptoms in normal-pressure hydrocephalus. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 59, 415419.Google Scholar
Mol, J. De (1977) Etude neuropsychologique des troubles mentaux dans l'hydrocephalic normotensive. Acta Psychiatrica Belgique, 77, 228253.Google Scholar
Mol, J. De (1986) Semiologie neuropsycholgique dans l'hydrocephalie a pression normale. Schweiz Archives Neurology Psychiatry, 137, 3345.Google Scholar
Nyback, H., Weisel, F. A. & Berggren, F. M., et al (1982) Computed tomography of the brain in patients with acute psychosis and in healthy volunteers. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 65, 403414.Google Scholar
Price, T. R. P. & Tucker, G. J. (1977) Psychiatric and behavioural manifestations of normal pressure hydrocephalus. Journal of Nervous Mental Disease, 164, 5155.Google Scholar
Rice, E. & Gendelmann, S. (1973) Psychiatric aspects of normal pressure hydrocephalus. Journal of the American Medical Association, 223, 409412.Google Scholar
Sandyk, R. (1984) Aggressive dementia in normal pressure hydrocephalus. South African Medical Journal, 65, 114.Google Scholar
Theinhaus, O. J. & Khosla, N. (1984) Meningeal cryptococcis mis-diagnosed as a manic episode. American Journal of Psychiatry, 141, 14591460.Google Scholar
Trevor, R. P., Price, T. R. P. & Tucker, G. J. (1977) Psychiatric and behavioural manifestations of normal pressure hydrocephalus. Journal of Nervous Mental Disease, 164, 5155.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.