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Mutation clue to neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring of old dads
DOI: 10.1038/tp.2011.30
Six gene mutations which may lead to older father’s increased risk of producing offspring with neurodevelopmental disorders are reported in Translational Psychiatry this week. Evidence shows that children born to older fathers have an increased risk of disorders such as autism, schizophrenia, and also are more likely to have of copy number variations (CNVs.) These findings, using an animal model, support the hypothesis that new mutations in the developing sperm may explain the link between older fathers and neurodevelopmental disorders.
John McGrath and colleagues mated both old and young male mice with young female partners. They report six new CNVs that are detected in the offspring of older male mice but not in those of younger males. They go on to estimate that the incidence of new CNVs is once in every six or seven offspring born to older fathers.
The CNVs detected in this study have been linked to neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders in humans; however the authors caution that it is yet to be proved whether this paternal age-related mutagenesis in mice will translate into humans.
As the age of parenthood is increasing in many societies, the team predict that the incidence of paternal-age related CNVs may increase over time and that, as they can be inherited, they could potentially accumulate over many generations.
Author contact:
John McGrath (Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia)
Tel: +61 407 149 609; E-mail: [email protected]
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