Women with Parkinson's may be more vulnerable to Alzheimer's pathology

Women with Parkinson's disease may be more vulnerable to Alzheimer's-related changes in the brain than men, according to new research presented at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Congress 2026.

Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease frequently co-occur in older adults, yet sex differences in Alzheimer's-related pathology among people with Parkinson's disease remain underexplored.

To address this knowledge gap, researchers from Mayo Clinic Arizona analyzed data from 230 autopsy-confirmed Parkinson's disease cases enrolled in the Arizona Study of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disorders and Brain and Body Donation Program. Participants underwent annual clinical assessments during life and comprehensive neuropathological examinations after death.

The study found that women with Parkinson's disease had significantly greater amyloid plaque burden, a hallmark feature of Alzheimer's disease, than men. Female participants had higher mean cortical total plaque scores than males (6.5/15 versus 4.9/15; p=0.045) and greater neuritic plaque density (1.7/3 versus 1.3/3; p=0.035).