title: Sex differences in cerebral energy metabolism in Parkinson's disease: a phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the hypothesis that there are sex differences in cerebral energy metabolism in Parkinson's disease (PD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((31)P MRS) was used to determine high-energy phosphate (phosphocreatine and ATP) and low-energy phosphate (free phosphate) levels in the striatum and temporoparietal cortical gray matter (GM) in 10 men and 10 women with PD, matched for age at onset, disease duration, and UPDRS scores.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the hemisphere more affected by PD, both ATP and high energy phosphate (HEP: phosphocreatine + ATP) content in striatum was 15% lower in men versus women with PD (p = .050 and p = .048, respectively). Similar decreases by 16% in ATP (p = .023) and 12% in HEP (p = .046) were observed in GM in men versus women with PD. In contrast, there were no detectable sex differences in ATP or HEP in healthy age-matched controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Men with PD have lower levels of ATP and high energy phosphate than women in brain regions affected by PD. These findings suggest that there may be a greater burden of mitochondrial dysfunction in PD in men versus women with PD.
authors.affiliation: Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10021, United States.
authors.forename: Nora
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Weiduschat
authors.affiliation: Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10021, United States.
authors.forename: Xiangling
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.affiliation: Neurology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10021, United States.
authors.forename: M Flint
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Beal
authors.affiliation: Neurology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, United States.
authors.forename: Melissa J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Nirenberg
authors.affiliation: Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10021, United States.
authors.forename: Dikoma C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Shungu
authors.affiliation: Neurology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10021, United States. Electronic address: clh2007@med.cornell.edu.
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Henchcliffe
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000473:pathology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism*; D010758:Phosphorus; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D010758:Phosphorus; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate
keywords: Biomarker; Magnetic resonance spectroscopy; Mitochondrial dysfunction; Oxidative stress; Parkinson's disease; Sex differences