Can hydrocephalus cause behavioral problems?
How hydrocephalus may affect learning and behaviour. Hydrocephalus can affect children’s concentration, working memory, understanding of language and their processing of information. All of these, potentially, can have an impact on behaviour. If you can’t remember instructions then you won’t be able to carry them out.
Can hydrocephalus cause mood swings?
Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) may present with its classic progressive triad (abnormal gait, ataxic/apractic dementia and urinary incontinence) [1], as paranoid psychosis [2, 3] or as a mood disorder, such as depressive episodes, manic episodes [4–6], or mood cycling [7, 8].
How does hydrocephalus affect mood?
It can make you feel less secure and less confident. A child or young person with hydrocephalus may feel like this and so they may become confused or anxious. Families, carers and friends find this stressful too. They may struggle to understand why the person they care about has problems.
Why is hydrocephalus more serious in adults?
When hydrocephalus occurs in adults, CSF levels rise but the amount of pressure is usually normal. It still causes the brain to swell and can lead to impaired functioning. In adults, this condition usually results from conditions that prevent CSF from flowing.
What causes fluid on the brain in older adults?
When an injury or illness alters the circulation of CSF, one or more of the ventricles becomes enlarged as CSF accumulates. In an adult, the skull is rigid and cannot expand, so the pressure in the brain may increase profoundly. Hydrocephalus is a chronic condition.
Does hydrocephalus cause sleepiness?
Hydrocephalus can be the cause of headaches as well as some loss of both coordination and balance, seizures, and impaired vision. Another of the physical symptoms is also sleepiness, although many have difficulty falling and staying asleep due to headaches or pain.
How does hydrocephalus affect the brain?
In hydrocephalus, the build-up of CSF can raise pressure inside the skull, which squashes surrounding brain tissue. In some cases, this can cause the head to steadily grow in size, convulsions, and brain damage. Hydrocephalus can be fatal if left untreated.