Abstract

Apraxia of gait in patients with communicating hydrocephalus appears in the context of a generalised motor disorder that includes defective righting reflexes, generalised increased tone to passive movements, grasp reflexes, difficulty with serial movements of the hands and defective smooth pursuit eye movements. The inability to walk does not appear to be due to a motor disorder but to release of proprioceptive supporting reactions. This mechanism is triggered by proprioceptive stimuli.