We investigated alteration in COP parameters, which indicates spontaneous body sway, after CSFTT during quiet standing in patients with iNPH. The COP displacements associated with time domain analysis reduced after CSFTT. In addition, iNPH patients had low PSD values, indicating less variation in power value of COP in the peak and average in both AP and ML directions at low-frequency oscillation after CSFTT. Interestingly, frontal lobe function was negatively correlated with spontaneous sway.
To evaluate balance function in patients with iNPH, we measured COP during quiet standing. Clinically, balance function is classified into static steady-state balance, which is the ability to maintain a steady position, such as standing, and dynamic steady-state balance, which is the ability to maintain a static position with a shift in the COG, such as walking9,28. An individual with a good static steady-state balance is expected to perform well in dynamic steady-state balance28,29. In practice, gait disturbances in patients with iNPH range from mild imbalance to complete inability to walk. In the case of patients who cannot walk independently or experience frequent falls, measuring the static steady-state balance could be helpful. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to compare the changes in static steady-state balance before and after CSFTT in patients with iNPH. Further studies are warranted to confirm the relationship between static and dynamic steady-state balance in patients with iNPH.
In our study, iNPH patients showed a decrease in COP parameters using time and frequency domain analysis after CSFTT. These changes could be interpreted as improving the ability to postural control after CSFTT. The PSD value helps evaluate the effect of small and rapid movements on spontaneous body sway26. Previous studies have reported higher PSD values of COP in older adults15, patients with Parkinson’s disease16,17, multiple sclerosis18, idiopathic scoliosis30, and vestibular disorders31 than in healthy controls during quiet standing. Furthermore, the range of PSD is closely associated with postural control in older adults and Parkinson’s disease17,26. Especially, low-frequency oscillation below 0.5 Hz reflects thought to be part of the descending drive to the motor neuron pool17,18. The exacerbation of low-frequency oscillations probably indicates a loss of motor control of the descending drive to the motor control. This decline in motor control is likely caused by the deterioration of neurons in brain regions related to motor control17. In this study, lower PSD values in the AP and ML direction below 0.5 Hz suggest a less frequent oscillation of spontaneous body sway during quiet standing after CSFTT. This improvement in low-frequency oscillation may be linked to an improvement in cerebral blood flow in periventricular and frontal white matter regions after CSFTT32. Furthermore, it was suggested that motor function recovery in iNPH patients after CSF removal was related to a reversible suppression of frontal periventricular cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical circuits33. However, the mechanisms producing balance recovery in iNPH are still not fully understood, and future studies are warranted to better investigate this aspect.
The spontaneous body sway was inversely associated with frontal lobe function; in other words, lower frontal lobe function was related to more frequent oscillations of body sway. Recent studies reported the ability to balance control was related to cognitive impairment in healthy older people34, Alzheimer's disease35, and Parkinson’s disease36. Even though healthy young adults, postural control was attentionally demanding, secondary tasks could increase their spontaneous body sway37,38. Postural control is influenced by multifactorial brain areas related to motor control systems, including those associated with higher-level cognitive function (frontal cortex), sensory feedback, coordination (basal ganglia, brainstem, and spinal cord), and generation of forces (motor neurons and muscles) that result in movements that maintain the body’s position39. In patients with iNPH, ventricular enlargement may interrupt the cortical-subcortical connections, such as the basal ganglia circuit, which connects the frontal cortex and basal ganglia40,41. In our study, severe frontal dysfunction predicted as impaired cortico-subcortical circuits may result in poor balance function in patients with iNPH.
This study has several limitations. We measured participants’ ability to maintain a steady position during standing. Although there is a high similarity between static and dynamic steady-state balance, it might be insufficient to explain dynamic parameters related to gait function. Recent studies have attempted to quantitatively assess dynamic characteristics during gait using a triaxial accelerometer of the trunk in patients with iNPH42,43. To understand postural instability in patients with iNPH, further large-scale studies are warranted to evaluate the relationship between static and dynamic steady-state balance function in patients with iNPH. Moreover, we did not compare COP parameters between patients with iNPH and healthy older controls. Healthy older adults revealed a difference in spontaneous sway between fallers and non-fallers during quiet standing44. Further study is needed to measure alterations of COP parameters in patients with iNPH compared to older adults.