Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a progressive condition of the elderly that results in severe disability. iNPH can dramatically respond to Cerebral spinal fluid(CSF)-shunting where excess ventricular fluid is diverted from the brain. Not all patients with iNPH respond to CSF-shunting however. The reasons for this are uncertain.
Aim 1: To understand if specific nerve pathways (white matter tracts) that are near ventricles are damaged in patients that respond to shunting as opposed to those that do not.
Aim 2: Can we explain shunt non-responsiveness by screening for dementia like illnesses (neurodegeneration) using a large array of methods.
Aim 3: To understand whether wearable activity and bed sleep monitors are palatable in a NPH population and to understand if these metrics relate to quality of life.
Aim 4: To see whether self-administered digital cognitive assessments can measure improvements pre and post surgery.
Adult patients >60
With gait apraxia
With or without cognitive impairment
Urinary dysfunction
Asymptomatic hydrocephalus
High pressure-hydrocephalus
Serious head injury within 5 years of presentation or a clear secondary cause (e.g. brain infection)
History of childhood gait disturbance
Imperial College London
Lead sponsor
Medical Research Council
Collaborator
Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
Collaborator
University College, London
Collaborator
University of Edinburgh
Collaborator
King's College London
Collaborator