Reduced default mode network connectivity relative to white matter integrity is associated with poor cognitive outcomes in patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate whether default mode network (DMN) connectivity and brain white matter integrity at baseline were associated with severe cognitive impairments at baseline and poor cognitive outcomes after shunt placement in patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH).

Methods: Twenty consecutive patients with iNPH whose symptoms were followed for 6 months after shunt placement and 10 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. DMN connectivity and brain white matter integrity at baseline in the patients with iNPH and HCs were detected by using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with independent component analysis and diffusion tensor imaging, respectively, and these MRI indexes were compared between the patients with iNPH and HCs.