Effect of gender in the onset and progression of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) has been categorized as the second most common neurodegenerative disorder that affects people at the age of 50 and above, with an estimated increase in the prevalence worldwide to be more than double by 2030. In this study, we have investigated the effects of a patient's sex on Parkinson's disease at baseline scan using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). The analysis was conducted across 70 T1-weighted volumetric MRI scans obtained from Parkinson's progression markers initiative (PPMI) database consisting of 25 PD and 10 healthy control male subjects, and 25 PD and 10 healthy control female subjects. Essentially, a statistical test was performed across all voxels of the images to identify volume difference by comparing normalized-modulated images of Parkinson's disease subjects with normalized-modulated healthy control subjects. Although men are more prone to Parkinson's disease than women, Our study revealed many regions in the brain associated with reduced grey matter volume in PD female subjects and few regions affected in PD male subjects at baseline MRI scan.