A significant difference between normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) and controls in the change between baseline and 1 day after spinal tap was only observed in MMSE. In the domains of visuoconstructive function and attention, controls performed slightly better at day one compared to baseline, which could be interpreted as a learning effect, but after adjusting for multiple testing none of the P values were significant. In contrast to other reports, the MMSE seems to provide a sensitive evaluation of the response to spinal tap in NPH patients and might therefore be included into the routine work up of NPH patients. All other neuropsychological (NPSY) tests showed less prominent changes within 1 day after spinal tap 1).
1) Schmidt H, Elster J, Eckert I, Wiefek J, Paulus W, von Steinbuechel N, Abatih EN, Blocher J. Cognitive functions after spinal tap in patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus. J Neurol. 2014 Sep 20. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 25239390