Older fathers may cause autism and mental disorders

Older fathers may cause autism and mental disorders
December 31, 3:24 AMBirmingham Science News ExaminerPaul HamakerPrevious Comment Print



A British and United States study has produced the first study that "used an animal model to investigate the effects of advanced paternal age on behavioral deficits in the offspring."

The results indicate:
1) "In men, it is thought that the spermatogonial stem cell divisions occurring over the life-course of males result in higher mutational rates and cytogenetic abnormalities in the sperm of older men. Numerous neurological and psychiatric disorders have been related to genomic alterations."

2) "An alternative explanation is that epigenetic dysfunction underlies some paternal age effects. Epigenetic dysfunction has been associated with several neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder."

More simply put the older the father is the higher the potential for the children to have autism, schizophrenia and early-onset bipolar disorder.

This was a mouse study using C57BL/6J offspring. Young fathers were 2 months old. Old fathers were 10 months old. Using C57BL/6J (the most common reference inbred strain of mouse) reduces genetic variation.

The progeny of the older mice demonstrated less social and exploratory behaviors which are components of mental disorders exhibited in humans.

Advancing Paternal Age Is Associated with Deficits in Social and Exploratory Behaviors in the Offspring: A Mouse Model

Rebecca G. Smith1#, Rachel L. Kember1#, Jonathan Mill1, Cathy Fernandes2*, Leonard C. Schalkwyk1, Joseph D. Buxbaum3,4, Abraham Reichenberg1,3

1 Medical Research Council Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, United Kingdom, 2 Department of Psychological Medicine and Psychiatry, King's College London, London, United Kingdom, 3 Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America, 4 Laboratory of Molecular Neuropsychiatry, and the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America

Citation: Smith RG, Kember RL, Mill J, Fernandes C, Schalkwyk LC, et al. (2009) Advancing Paternal Age Is Associated with Deficits in Social and Exploratory Behaviors in the Offspring: A Mouse Model. PLoS ONE 4(12): e8456. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008456

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0008456