Cognitive function in Parkinson's disease: The influence of gender

BackgroundData on the influence of gender on cognitive disorders in Parkinson's disease (PD) are still scarce and controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate gender differences in cognition in a sample of PD patients.Materials and methods306 PD outpatients (144 women and 162 men) underwent an extensive neuropsychological examination.ResultsThe women gave better verbal long-term memory scores (p < 0.045), while the men showed superior visuopatial abilities (<0.027). These differences decreased and ultimately disappeared with disease progression. No significant gender differences were found in the percentages of PD dementia (PDD) patients and patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI); however, the PDD women were older than the PDD men and had an older age at PD onset (p < 0.02). In both sexes, the total number of patients with cognitive impairment was found to increase significantly with disease progression.ConclusionsThese results add further evidence of gender influences on cognition and disease evolution in PD.