More severe motor complications and mood changes, but less cognitive impairment seen in women being treated for Parkinson’s disease

October 1, 2026

SEOUL — New evidence that Parkinson’s disease (PD) symptoms significantly differ between women and men, on average, was reported at the 2026 International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders® in Seoul. 

"Sex differences in movement disorders remain understudied and undervalued despite having an important impact on clinical outcomes in both real-life and clinical trials settings," said Dr. Marina Picillo, assistant professor in neurology at AOU San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi d’Aragona.

In a large study that retrospectively analyzed sex-associated data collected over 10 years of PD patient examinations at a movement disorders clinic in Germany, researchers found a notably higher burden of PD motor complications among women (mean Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale-IV score of 4.25 vs 3.45) as well as depression. Conversely, they concluded that men with PD are more likely to have more severe cognitive decline, as well as a higher occurrence of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) and olfactory loss.

Mean patient age, age at PD onset, and disease duration were similar between sexes.

“By analyzing data for more than 10,000 PD patients, this study confirmed that depression is more common in women, while RBD, worse cognition, and poorer olfaction are more prevalent in men,” Picillo said. “With good representation of women (40%), it also confirmed a greater female burden of motor complications.”

Results underscore the need for sex-sensitive stratification in PD management, especially since female populations have been historically underrepresented in neurological research. Factors driving these differing responses to treatment remain unclear. 

Picillo stressed the importance of taking sex differences into consideration when tailoring PD therapy or designing clinical trials: “This would be the very first, basic step for boosting precision medicine in PD.”

Read the full abstract: Sex-Specific Differences in Parkinson's Disease: A Retrospective Analysis of over 10,000 Patients from the Paracelsus-Elena Hospital, a Specialized Movement Disorder Clinic in Germany. 

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About the 2026 MDS International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders^®:
The MDS International Congress is the premier annual event to advance the clinical and scientific discipline of Movement Disorders, including Parkinson’s disease. Convening thousands of leading clinicians, scientists and other health professionals from around the globe, the International Congress will introduce more than 2,000 scientific abstracts and provide a forum for education and collaboration on latest research and treatment findings. 

About the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society: 
The International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society^® (MDS), an international society of more than 12,000 clinicians, scientists, and other healthcare professionals, is dedicated to improving patient care through education and research. For more information about MDS, visit www.movementdisorders.org.