Scientists have long wondered why more men than women are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Now, researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark may have found an important clue.
Their work, led by Professor Marina Romero-Ramos, was published in the journal npj Parkinson’s Disease and highlights the role of a protein called CD163 in the brain.
CD163 is a receptor mostly found in immune cells in the blood. These cells help protect the body by cleaning up harmful substances.
The researchers discovered that this protein becomes more active in the brain when a key protein involved in Parkinson’s disease, called a-synuclein, starts to build up. This buildup of a-synuclein is one of the main signs of Parkinson’s.
What’s especially interesting is that CD163 seems to play a protective role, particularly in women. The team found that CD163 helps control how certain immune cells, called lymphocytes, enter the brain during the early stages of nerve damage.
This protective response may help explain why women are less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than men.
These findings add an important piece to the puzzle of why the disease affects men and women differently. Romero-Ramos believes the answer may lie in how the immune system responds to early changes in the brain.
Her team’s study showed that CD163 is more active in people with Parkinson’s disease and may act as the body’s natural way of trying to protect the brain—especially in women.
This discovery opens up new possibilities for research. If scientists can better understand how CD163 protects nerve cells, they might find ways to use this protein to develop treatments. For example, if doctors could boost CD163’s protective effects in men, it might help lower their risk of Parkinson’s or slow the disease’s progress.
The study also highlights the importance of looking at gender differences in medical research. Treatments for diseases like Parkinson’s could be more effective if they’re tailored to how men’s and women’s bodies respond differently.
Understanding how the immune system affects brain health is another key takeaway. The brain and immune system are closely connected, and problems in one can affect the other. This research reminds us that studying the immune system is just as important as studying the brain when it comes to diseases like Parkinson’s.
In summary, this research from Aarhus University is a big step forward in understanding Parkinson’s disease. By focusing on the CD163 protein and its possible protective role in women, scientists are getting closer to figuring out why this disease affects men and women differently.
It also gives hope that future treatments could be more targeted and effective for each patient based on their individual biology.
If you care about Parkinson’s disease, please read studies about Exercise hormone may help stop Parkinson’s symptoms and findings of Scientists make new breakthrough in Parkinson’s disease treatment.
For more information about Parkinson’s disease, please read studies Scientists find how to improve walking in people with Parkinson’s disease and findings of Scientists find causes of Parkinson’s and Lewy body dementia.
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