European Journal of Neuroscience

An international collaborative research team, including researchers from the Faculty of Frontier Engineering at Kanazawa University, has for the first time elucidated sex differences in motor unit firing patterns in patients with Parkinson's disease. Utilizing high-density surface electromyography (HD-SEMG), their detailed analysis of motor unit activity revealed that female patients exhibited significantly greater asymmetry in motor unit discharge rates and lower persistent inward currents (PICs) compared to males. These findings suggest that neurodegeneration may be more asymmetrical in females, even when presenting with similar motor symptoms. This study indicates that motor unit behavior can serve as a sensitive evaluation tool to highlight differences in disease presentation between sexes, potentially leading to the development of personalized treatment strategies that consider sex-specific factors in the future.