Age and sex differentially shape brain networks in Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Aims: Age and sex are important individual factors modifying the clinical symptoms of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Our goal is to evaluate the effects of age and sex on brain networks and clinical manifestations of PD patients. Methods: Parkinson's disease participants (n = 198) receiving functional magnetic resonance imaging from Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative database were investigated. Participants were classified into lower quartile group (age rank: 0%~25%), interquartile group (age rank: 26%~75%), and upper quartile group (age rank: 76%~100%) according to their age quartiles to examine how age shapes brain network topology. The differences of brain network topological properties between male and female participants were also investigated. Results: Parkinson's disease patients in the upper quartile age group exhibited disrupted network topology of white matter networks and impaired integrity of white matter fibers compared to lower quartile age group. In contrast, sex preferentially shaped the small-world topology of gray matter covariance network. Differential network metrics mediated the effects of age and sex on cognitive function of PD patients. Conclusion: Age and sex have diverse effects on brain structural networks and cognitive function of PD patients, highlighting their roles in the clinical management of PD.