title: Advanced paternal age and parental history of schizophrenia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Advanced paternal age (APA) is a risk factor for nonaffective psychosis (NAP) in the offspring, although the mechanism(s) of this association are not clear. The aim of this study was to examine whether later childbearing can be explained by parental schizophrenia, and in doing so, further evaluate the "de novo mutation" hypothesis for the association between APA and NAP.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using binary logistic regression, the association between APA and parental history of schizophrenia in the offspring, considering maternal and paternal history separately, was examined in 1) all persons with NAP born in Finland between 1950 and 1969 (Finnish NAP Cohort, n = 13,712), and 2) members of the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort (NFBC 1966, n = 10,224), a general population birth cohort.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the Finnish NAP Cohort, having a mother with schizophrenia was associated with APA (Odds Ratio [OR] for linear trend = 1.20, 95% confidence interval 1.12-1.29, p < 0.01). In the NFBC 1966 sample, having a mother with schizophrenia was associated with APA at the trend level (OR = 1.14, 0.99-1.31, p = 0.07). By contrast, there was no association between having a father with schizophrenia and APA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In both a general population cohort and a birth cohort of subjects with nonaffective psychosis, APA was associated with maternal, but not paternal, schizophrenia. These findings suggest that increased genetic risk from the mother may explain the association between APA and nonaffective psychosis, and argue against the "de novo mutation" hypothesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior, Medical College of Georgia Health Sciences University, Augusta, Georgia 30912, United States. brmiller@georgiahealth.edu
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Jaana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Suvisaari
authors.forename: Jouko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miettunen
authors.forename: Marjo-Riitta
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Järvelin
authors.forename: Jari
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Haukka
authors.forename: Antti
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tanskanen
authors.forename: Jouko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lönnqvist
authors.forename: Matti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Isohanni
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kirkpatrick
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010331:Paternal Age; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D055815:Young Adult