Advancing paternal age is associated with deficits in social and exploratory behaviors in the offspring: a mouse model.
BACKGROUND
Accumulating evidence from epidemiological research has demonstrated an association between advanced paternal age and risk for several psychiatric disorders including autism, schizophrenia and early-onset bipolar disorder. In order to establish causality, this study used an animal model to investigate the effects of advanced paternal age on behavioural deficits in the offspring.


METHODS
C57BL/6J offspring (n = 12 per group) were bred from fathers of two different ages, 2 months (young) and 10 months (old), and mothers aged 2 months (n = 6 breeding pairs per group). Social and exploratory behaviors were examined in the offspring.


RESULTS
The offspring of older fathers were found to engage in significantly less social (p = 0.02) and exploratory (p = 0.02) behaviors than the offspring of younger fathers. There were no significant differences in measures of motor activity.


CONCLUSIONS
Given the well-controlled nature of this study, this provides the strongest evidence for deleterious effects of advancing paternal age on social and exploratory behavior. De-novo chromosomal changes and/or inherited epigenetic changes are the most plausible explanatory factors.
Smith
Rebecca G
RG
Medical Research Council Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
Kember
Rachel L
RL
Mill
Jonathan
J
Fernandes
Cathy
C
Schalkwyk
Leonard C
LC
Buxbaum
Joseph D
JD
Reichenberg
Abraham
A
D000818:Animals; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D023421:Models, Animal; D010331:Paternal Age; D012919:Social Behavior