UNIPA News || London 01 July-Women living with Parkinson’s disease may be more likely than men to develop brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease, according to preliminary research presented at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Congress 2026.

Researchers from Mayo Clinic analyzed data from 230 people whose Parkinson’s disease had been confirmed through post-mortem brain examinations. All participants had been enrolled in the Arizona Study of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disorders and the Brain and Body Donation Program, receiving annual neurological and cognitive assessments during their lives before their brain tissue was examined after death.

The study focused on amyloid plaques, protein deposits widely recognized as one of the hallmark features of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers found that women with Parkinson’s disease had significantly greater amyloid plaque accumulation than men. More than half of the women showed a high plaque burden, compared with around 40% of men.

The association remained significant after researchers accounted for age and the APOE ε4 genetic variant, a well-established risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. According to the study, women were more than twice as likely as men to have heavy amyloid plaque buildup.

Lead researcher Dr. Erika Driver-Dunckley said the findings suggest women may have a greater biological susceptibility to Alzheimer’s-related brain changes when they also have Parkinson’s disease.

Despite the higher level of Alzheimer’s-related pathology, researchers found no significant differences between men and women in cognitive test performance or diagnoses of Alzheimer’s dementia during life.

The researchers suggested several possible explanations for this finding. The study may not have been large enough to detect subtle cognitive differences, or some women may possess greater cognitive reserve, allowing them to maintain normal thinking and memory despite more extensive brain changes. They said further research is needed to better understand these findings.

The results are consistent with previous Alzheimer’s research indicating that women without Parkinson’s disease also tend to develop more severe Alzheimer’s-related brain pathology than men. Researchers said this could point to an underlying biological vulnerability that becomes more pronounced when Parkinson’s disease is present.

If confirmed by future studies, the findings could help clinicians identify women with Parkinson’s disease who are at greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s-related brain changes and support closer monitoring of cognitive health. The research may also contribute to the development of more targeted treatments aimed at slowing the progression of both neurological conditions.

Researchers cautioned that the findings remain preliminary because the study has been presented at a scientific conference but has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal. They also noted that the research does not explain why women develop more amyloid plaques or establish that greater plaque buildup will necessarily lead to worse cognitive outcomes. Larger studies involving more diverse populations will be required to validate the findings.