Researchers have discovered new genetic differences inside brain cells that may help explain why Parkinson’s disease is more common in men than in women.
The findings were presented at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) Forum 2026 by scientists from Saarland University in Germany.
Although the work has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, it offers important new clues about how Parkinson’s disease develops and why it may progress differently in men and women.
Parkinson’s disease is a long-term brain disorder that gradually damages nerve cells involved in movement. It affects about 9.4 million people worldwide.
Common symptoms include shaking, slow movement, muscle stiffness, poor balance, sleep problems, depression and, in some people, memory and thinking difficulties. Scientists believe about 90% of cases result from a combination of inherited genes together with environmental and lifestyle factors.
Doctors have known for many years that men develop Parkinson’s disease about one and a half to two times more often than women. Men also tend to experience faster declines in thinking ability and daily functioning. However, the biological reasons for these differences have remained unclear.
Professor Julia Schulze-Hentrich and her team have been studying whether male and female brains respond differently to the disease. In earlier work involving agricultural workers, they found that women with early Parkinson’s disease had many more changes in DNA methylation than men.
DNA methylation does not change the genes themselves. Instead, it acts like a dimmer switch that controls how strongly certain genes are turned on or off. The researchers suggested that genes, together with environmental exposures such as pesticides, may influence these changes.
In the new study, the scientists examined brain tissue donated after death by 73 people with Parkinson’s disease and compared it with tissue from 24 people without the disease. They studied five different brain regions and looked separately at several types of brain cells, including neurons and supporting cells known as astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and microglia.
The team found that many stress responses were shared by both men and women. Brain cells in both sexes activated protective proteins that help damaged proteins fold correctly. This suggests that Parkinson’s disease triggers similar basic defence mechanisms regardless of sex.
However, important differences also appeared. In astrocytes, genes involved in producing energy inside mitochondria behaved differently in men and women. In oligodendrocytes, genes responsible for producing myelin, the protective covering around nerve fibres, also showed different activity between the sexes. These differences were seen across several brain regions.
The researchers believe these findings may help explain why Parkinson’s symptoms and disease progression are often different in men and women. Understanding these biological differences could eventually allow doctors to develop more personalised treatments rather than assuming all patients respond in the same way.
The study also highlights the importance of analysing men and women separately in medical research. Combining everyone into one group may hide important biological differences that could improve diagnosis and treatment.
This research has important strengths because it examined several different brain cell types instead of focusing only on neurons. It also explored both male and female brain tissue. However, the number of donated brain samples was relatively small, so larger studies are needed to confirm the findings.
Because the work was presented at a scientific meeting, further peer-reviewed research will strengthen confidence in the results. Overall, the study provides an important step toward understanding why Parkinson’s disease affects men and women differently and may eventually support more personalised patient care.
If you care about Parkinson’s disease, please read studies that Vitamin B may slow down cognitive decline, and Mediterranean diet could help lower risk of Parkinson’s.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies that blueberry supplements may prevent cognitive decline, and results showing Plant-based diets could protect cognitive health from air pollution.
