Neurophysiologic tests screening cognitive impairment in idiopathic intracranial hypertension patients

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a disorder with increased intracranial pressure of obscure cause. Patients with IIH may suffer from difficulty in thinking or concentrating. This work aimed at highlighting the neurophysiologic suggestions of cognitive impairment in IIH patients. METHODS: Twenty patients with IIH—and a similar number of matched control subjects—were examined in this case–control study. The P300 and contingent negative variation (CNV) were performed. Results from both groups were compared. RESULTS: There were significant lower means of P300 amplitude and CNV amplitude (early and late response) in patients than in controls. Also, there were significant delayed latencies of P300 and CNV in patients than in normal control subjects. Finally, P300 latency was correlated to mini-mental state examination. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that cognitive affection in IIH is well appreciated at neurophysiologic levels and is related to clinical inputs. We are providing a suggestion of the significant relation between clinical screening (i.e., mini-mental state examination) and NP screening (i.e., P300) of cognitive functions. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s41983-018-0010-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.