Table 3.
Cognitive performance and brain structure at different education levels
| Education ≤12 years n=294 |
Education ≥13 years n=165 |
P | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average age | 61.66±8.28 | 57.43±8.78 | <0.001 |
| Sex female (n, %) | 177, 60.2% | 83, 50.3% | 0.040 |
| Years of education | 9.79±2.34 | 16.29±0.95 | <0.001 |
| Global CDR score | 0.10±0.24 | 0.22±0.40 | <0.001 |
| MMSE | 23.74±4.65 | 26.73±2.79 | <0.001 |
| MoCA | 19.47±5.18 | 24.62±3.61 | <0.001 |
| DST total | 10.72±2.51 | 12.98±2.68 | <0.001 |
| RAVLT total learning | 8.93±3.32 | 11.07±2.79 | <0.001 |
| RAVLT long-delayed recall | 6.04±3.7 | 8.65±3.53 | <0.001 |
| ROCF copy | 33.18±6.55 | 28.8±9.53 | <0.001 |
| ROCF long-delayed recall | 17.23±7.96 | 11.74±8.76 | <0.001 |
| Stroop D time | 22.07±16.02 | 16.25±6.55 | <0.001 |
| Stroop W time | 27.72±13.85 | 20.54±8.46 | <0.001 |
| TMT-A time | 59.73±32.17 | 41.09±28.42 | <0.001 |
| TMT-B time | 136.48±91.03 | 81.31±48.78 | <0.001 |
| BNT | 21.78±4.47 | 25.44±2.69 | <0.001 |
| SDMT | 30.22±13.05 | 44.06±13.285 | <0.001 |
| CDT | 8.00±2.39 | 8.96±1.76 | <0.001 |
| NPI | 1.75±5.86 | 1.16±3.55 | 0.242 |
| Brain structure | |||
| Left hippocampal volume, mm2 | 3386.57±435.93 | 3584.61±428.01 | <0.001 |
| Left amygdala volume, mm2 | 1634.78±220.55 | 1709.65±215.06 | 0.145 |
| Left thalamus volume, mm2 | 6883.74±897.91 | 6867.95±973.97 | 0.864 |
| Left caudate volume, mm2 | 3313.07±580.16 | 3289.96±567.13 | 0.697 |
| Left putamen volume, mm2 | 4629.44±710.25 | 4605.42±676.78 | 0.73 |
| Left pallidum volume, mm2 | 1931.57±251.23 | 1914.63±250.43 | 0.498 |
| Left cortex volume, mm2 | 216,139.25±23,700.57 | 212,924.21±25,849.25 | 0.188 |
| Left cerebral white matter volume, mm2 | 223,576.87±29,777.23 | 218,952.71±31,041.08 | 0.125 |
| Left mean cortical thickness, mm | 2.37±0.12 | 2.38±0.10 | 0.678 |
| Right hippocampal volume, mm2 | 3512.3±476.23 | 3710.8±433.37 | <0.001 |
| Right amygdala volume, mm2 | 4691.13±49,986.08 | 1777.05±252.54 | 0.563 |
| Right thalamus volume, mm2 | 6696.93±830.19 | 6594.12±885.91 | 0.225 |
| Right caudate volume, mm2 | 3373.49±565.75 | 3340.36±608.73 | 0.474 |
| Right putamen volume, mm2 | 4743.54±678.03 | 4714.12±697.27 | 0.666 |
| Right pallidum volume, mm2 | 1928.99±259.36 | 1922.71±272.97 | 0.812 |
| Right cortex volume, mm2 | 216,046.23±23,917.16 | 212,025.16±26,239.96 | 0.104 |
| Right cerebral white matter volume, mm2 | 222,783.05±29,373.45 | 217,819.36±30,845.32 | 0.096 |
| Right mean cortical thickness, mm | 2.37±0.12 | 2.37±0.11 | 0.800 |
| Cortex volume, mm2 | 432,185.48±47,269.6 | 424,949.37±51,768.69 | 0.138 |
| Subcortex gray volume, mm2 | 54,526.69±6033.69 | 54,063.54±6179.62 | 0.445 |
| Total gray volume, mm2 | 585,324.16±59,164.42 | 576,922.21±63,115.96 | 0.164 |
| Cerebral white matter volume, mm2 | 446,359.92±58,982.67 | 436,772.07±61,698.97 | 0.109 |
| WM hyperintensities volume, mm2 | 3219.53±4544.25 | 3335.6±5123.64 | 0.510 |
| Brain segmentation volume, mm2 | 1,089,199.77±112,197.33 | 1,067,993.91±118,965.54 | 0.110 |
| eTIV, mm2 | 1,443,152.53±151,357.93 | 1,422,097.74±162,271.98 | 0.199 |
| Brain segmentation volume to eTIV, % | 75.67±5.19 | 75.37±6.11 | 0.590 |
Abbreviations: CDR Clinical Dementia Rating, MMSE Mini-Mental State Examination, MoCA Montreal Cognitive Assessment, DST Digit Span Test, RAVLT Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, ROCF Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test, TMT Trail Making Test, BNT Boston Naming Test, SDMT Symbol Digit Modalities Test, CDT clock drawing test, NPI Neuropsychiatry Inventory, WM white matter, eTIV estimated total intracranial volume