Table 3 Cognitive performance and brain structure at different education levels

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

 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