Why Parkinson’s Disease Is More Common in Men

New research sheds light on genetic clues that may explain why Parkinson’s disease affects more men than women.

A new study has uncovered genetic differences in brain cells that may help explain why Parkinson’s disease is more common and often progresses faster in men than in women. The findings, presented at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) Forum 2026, could pave the way for more personalized treatments for the neurodegenerative disorder. ()

Parkinson’s disease affects an estimated 9.4 million people worldwide and is becoming increasingly common as populations age. The condition gradually damages parts of the brain, leading to movement problems such as tremors, stiffness, and slower movements. Over time, it can also impair memory, thinking, and other cognitive functions.

Researchers say men are 1.5 to 2 times more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than women. They also tend to experience a faster decline in cognitive abilities and greater difficulty performing everyday activities. However, the biological reasons behind these differences have remained largely unclear.

New Research Points to Sex-specific Genetic Changes

The latest findings were presented by Dr. Julia Schulze-Hentrich, Professor in the Department of Genetics and Epigenetics at Saarland University in Germany and an affiliate of the Center for Gender-Specific Biology and Medicine.

“The higher prevalence of Parkinson’s disease in men suggests that sex-dependent biology may influence vulnerability,” Schulze-Hentrich said. She added that studying men and women separately may reveal disease mechanisms that are often missed when research combines data from both sexes.

The new research builds on Schulze-Hentrich’s earlier study involving agricultural workers, including 71 people with early Parkinson’s disease and 147 healthy participants.

That study found striking differences in DNA methylation—a biological process that regulates whether genes are turned on or off. Women with Parkinson’s showed DNA methylation changes in 69 regions of the genome, while men showed changes in only two regions.

Brain Tissue Analysis Reveals New Insights

These findings suggested that a person’s genetic makeup, combined with environmental factors such as pesticide exposure, may influence the development of Parkinson’s disease differently in men and women.

To better understand these biological differences, researchers analyzed postmortem brain tissue from 73 people with Parkinson’s disease—including 28 women and 45 men—and compared the samples with brain tissue from 24 people without the disease.

The team examined gene activity across five brain regions and studied different types of brain cells, including neurons and three types of supporting glial cells: astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia.

The analysis showed that Parkinson’s disease triggered similar stress responses in brain cells regardless of sex. Cells activated protective proteins known as chaperones, which help damaged proteins fold correctly during periods of stress.

How Brain Cells Differ in Men and Women

However, important differences also emerged. Brain support cells behave differently in men and women. Researchers found that astrocytes, the cells responsible for supporting neurons, showed sex-specific differences in genes linked to mitochondria, the structures that generate energy for cells.

In oligodendrocytes, which produce the protective myelin coating around nerve fibers, genes involved in maintaining myelin also behaved differently in men and women.

These differences were observed across multiple brain regions, suggesting they are a fundamental feature of the disease rather than being limited to one part of the brain.

According to the researchers, these findings indicate that while Parkinson’s disease activates common stress responses in everyone, men and women may experience different disease processes at the cellular level.

Expert Says Glial Cells Deserve More Attention

The researchers believe these biological differences could explain why Parkinson’s symptoms and disease progression vary between men and women.

Instead of treating all patients the same, future therapies may be tailored according to sex-specific disease mechanisms. Such an approach could improve symptom management, help doctors identify complications earlier, and enable more targeted treatments.

Schulze-Hentrich emphasized that future Parkinson’s research should routinely analyze data separately for men and women rather than combining results, as this could reveal important biological differences that have previously gone unnoticed.

Commenting on the research, Professor Christina Dalla of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, who was not involved in the study, said the findings build on previous work linking environmental exposures, including pesticides, to Parkinson’s disease.

She noted that while some genetic changes occur in both sexes, others are unique to either men or women. The study also highlights the important role of glial cells—the brain’s support cells—which have received far less attention than neurons in Parkinson’s research.

According to Dalla, these cells may interact with factors such as sex hormones, environmental exposures, and other biological influences to shape disease risk and progression.

What’s Next for Parkinson’s Disease Research?

Despite the promising findings, the researchers acknowledged that the study examined a relatively small number of brain samples. Larger studies involving more participants will be needed to confirm the results.

To advance this work, the German Research Foundation (DFG) will launch a new research initiative called “SEX and GLIA” in autumn 2026. The programme will bring together physiologists, geneticists, and computational biologists to better understand how sex-specific differences in glial cells influence Parkinson’s disease risk, progression, and treatment response.

If successful, the research could move Parkinson’s care closer to precision medicine, where treatments are tailored not only to the disease but also to the patient’s biological profile.

References:

1. Sex differences in glial cells contribute to the molecular etiology of Parkinson’s disease – (https://fens2026.abstractserver.com/program/#/details/presentations/164)

Source-Medindia