Samantha L Schaffner, Kira N Tosefsky, Amy M Inskter, Silke Appel-Cresswell, Julia M Schulze-Hentrich
{"title":"Sex and gender differences in the molecular etiology of Parkinson's disease: considerations for study design and data analysis.","authors":"Samantha L Schaffner, Kira N Tosefsky, Amy M Inskter, Silke Appel-Cresswell, Julia M Schulze-Hentrich","doi":"10.1186/s13293-025-00692-w","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Parkinson's disease (PD) is more prevalent in men than women, and presents with different clinical features in each sex. Despite widespread recognition of these differences, females are under-represented in clinical and experimental studies of PD, and much remains to be elucidated regarding the biological underpinnings of sex differences in PD. In this review, we summarize known contributors to sex differences in PD etiology across the life course, with a focus on neurological development and gene regulation. Sex differences that are established at conception and heightened during adolescence and midlife may partially embed future PD risk, due to the complex interactions between gonadal hormones, gene regulation, lifestyle factors, and aging. While the neuroprotective properties of estrogen are strongly implicated in reduced prevalence of PD in women, interactions with genotype and gender-biased lifestyle factors are incompletely understood. Consideration of sex and gender-related factors in study design, data analysis, and interpretation have the power to expedite our knowledge of the etiology of PD in men and in women, and to inform prevention and therapeutic strategies tailored to each sex.</p>","PeriodicalId":8890,"journal":{"name":"Biology of Sex Differences","volume":"16 1","pages":"7"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11789417/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Biology of Sex Differences","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13293-025-00692-w","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENDOCRINOLOGY & METABOLISM","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is more prevalent in men than women, and presents with different clinical features in each sex. Despite widespread recognition of these differences, females are under-represented in clinical and experimental studies of PD, and much remains to be elucidated regarding the biological underpinnings of sex differences in PD. In this review, we summarize known contributors to sex differences in PD etiology across the life course, with a focus on neurological development and gene regulation. Sex differences that are established at conception and heightened during adolescence and midlife may partially embed future PD risk, due to the complex interactions between gonadal hormones, gene regulation, lifestyle factors, and aging. While the neuroprotective properties of estrogen are strongly implicated in reduced prevalence of PD in women, interactions with genotype and gender-biased lifestyle factors are incompletely understood. Consideration of sex and gender-related factors in study design, data analysis, and interpretation have the power to expedite our knowledge of the etiology of PD in men and in women, and to inform prevention and therapeutic strategies tailored to each sex.
期刊介绍:
Biology of Sex Differences is a unique scientific journal focusing on sex differences in physiology, behavior, and disease from molecular to phenotypic levels, incorporating both basic and clinical research. The journal aims to enhance understanding of basic principles and facilitate the development of therapeutic and diagnostic tools specific to sex differences. As an open-access journal, it is the official publication of the Organization for the Study of Sex Differences and co-published by the Society for Women's Health Research.
Topical areas include, but are not limited to sex differences in: genomics; the microbiome; epigenetics; molecular and cell biology; tissue biology; physiology; interaction of tissue systems, in any system including adipose, behavioral, cardiovascular, immune, muscular, neural, renal, and skeletal; clinical studies bearing on sex differences in disease or response to therapy.