OBJECTIVE: Advanced paternal age at birth as a risk for schizophrenia in the adult offspring has been reported in previous studies exclusively conducted in Western countries and Israel. The question has arisen whether this finding could be replicated in countries with socially and culturally different attitudes toward marriage, including factors such as age at marriage. To address this question, we conducted a case-control study of a Japanese population. METHODS: The subjects were representative inpatients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia. Unrelated healthy volunteers were recruited as control subjects. This study was conducted as one of a series of the projects by use of "The Mother and Child Health Handbooks (MCHHs)," from which information on parental characteristics around the time of birth, including parental ages at birth, had been extracted and recorded on computer. RESULTS: Ninety-nine subjects with schizophrenia and 381 healthy control subjects enrolled for the study. Advanced paternal, but not maternal, age was associated with an elevated risk for schizophrenia. Reproducibility of the association across different cultures is suggestive of a causal link.
OBJECTIVE: Advanced paternal age at birth as a risk for schizophrenia in the adult offspring has been reported in previous studies exclusively conducted in Western countries and Israel. The question has arisen whether this finding could be replicated in countries with socially and culturally different attitudes toward marriage, including factors such as age at marriage. To address this question, we conducted a case-control study of a Japanese population. METHODS: The subjects were representative inpatients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia. Unrelated healthy volunteers were recruited as control subjects. This study was conducted as one of a series of the projects by use of "The Mother and Child Health Handbooks (MCHHs)," from which information on parental characteristics around the time of birth, including parental ages at birth, had been extracted and recorded on computer. RESULTS: Ninety-nine subjects with schizophrenia and 381 healthy control subjects enrolled for the study. Advanced paternal, but not maternal, age was associated with an elevated risk for schizophrenia. Reproducibility of the association across different cultures is suggestive of a causal link.
Authors: Mary C Perrin; Mark G Opler; Susan Harlap; Jill Harkavy-Friedman; Karine Kleinhaus; Daniella Nahon; Shmuel Fennig; Ezra S Susser; Dolores Malaspina Journal: Schizophr Res Date: 2006-11-17 Impact factor: 4.939
Authors: Brian Miller; Erick Messias; Jouko Miettunen; Antti Alaräisänen; Marjo-Riita Järvelin; Hannu Koponen; Pirkko Räsänen; Matti Isohanni; Brian Kirkpatrick Journal: Schizophr Bull Date: 2010-02-25 Impact factor: 9.306
Authors: Jacobine E Buizer-Voskamp; Wijnand Laan; Wouter G Staal; Eric A M Hennekam; Maartje F Aukes; Fabian Termorshuizen; René S Kahn; Marco P M Boks; Roel A Ophoff Journal: Schizophr Res Date: 2011-04-12 Impact factor: 4.939
Authors: Hyejoo Lee; Dolores Malaspina; Hongshik Ahn; Mary Perrin; Mark G Opler; Karine Kleinhaus; Susan Harlap; Raymond Goetz; Daniel Antonius Journal: Schizophr Res Date: 2011-02-26 Impact factor: 4.939
Authors: Brian Kirkpatrick; Erick Messias; Philip D Harvey; Emilio Fernandez-Egea; Christopher R Bowie Journal: Schizophr Bull Date: 2007-12-21 Impact factor: 9.306