Men Twice as Likely to Develop Parkinson’s Due to Key Brain Protein, Study Finds
New research identifies a brain protein, PINK1, as a key factor in why men are twice as likely as women to develop Parkinson’s disease. The findings could lead to new treatments to protect brain cells.
Watan-A new study has revealed that the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease is twice as high in men as in women, pointing to a potential cause—a benign protein in the brain.
This protein, known as PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1), is usually harmless and plays a crucial role in regulating cellular energy use in the brain. However, the study suggests that in certain cases of Parkinson’s, the immune system mistakenly identifies PINK1 as a threat and attacks brain cells containing the protein.
The research, conducted by a team from the La Jolla Institute for Immunology in California using blood samples from Parkinson’s patients, found that damage to this protein—caused by immune system T cells—is more widespread and aggressive in male brains compared to female brains.
Gender Differences in Parkinson’s: Key Protein Under Attack
Immunologist Alessandro Sette, a co-author of the study, stated, “The sex-based differences in T cell responses were quite striking.”
He added, “In male Parkinson’s patients, we observed a sixfold increase in T cells targeting brain cells carrying PINK1 compared to healthy brains. In female patients, the increase was only 0.7-fold.”
Researchers believe these findings could help develop treatments to prevent T cells from attacking PINK1, thereby protecting brain cells.
Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative condition that gradually manifests through stiffness, tremors, and slowed movement. The symptoms arise from the loss of critical nerve cells in a region near the brainstem, which plays an indirect role in fine motor control.
