Correlations between cognitive reserve, brain and cerebrospinal fluid volume in mild cognitive impairment patients

Motivation: Cognitive reserve (CR), which can preserve cognitive function despite underlying neuropathology, explains at least some variability in cognitive performance. Goal(s): To explore the effect of CR on brain and CSF volume in patients with MCI and healthy elders (HC). Approach: The study population included 31 HC and 50 MCI patients were collected in this study to obtain high-resolution 3D-T1 structure images, cognitive function and composite CR scores. Results: The results showed that cognitive reserve was significantly associated with cognitive performance. Some brain and CSF volumes correlate with cognitive reserve. Cognitive reserve affects cognitive performance by reducing the volume of the right parahippocampal gyrus. Impact: Our study provides evidence that CR protects neurocognitive function in the preclinical stages of AD, particularly in the right parahippocampal gyrus, through mechanisms that modulate brain and CSF volume.