Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Trajectories leading to autism spectrum disorders are affected by paternal age: findings from two nationally representative twin studies.

Lundström, Sebastian LU ; Haworth, Claire M A ; Carlström, Eva ; Gillberg, Christopher ; Mill, Jonathan ; Råstam, Maria LU orcid ; Hultman, Christina M ; Ronald, Angelica ; Anckarsäter, Henrik LU and Plomin, Robert , et al. (2010) In Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines 51(7). p.850-856
Abstract
Background: Despite extensive efforts, the causes of autism remain unknown. Advancing paternal age has been associated with various neurodevelopmental disorders. We aim to investigate three unresolved questions: (a) What is the association between paternal age and autism spectrum disorders (ASD)?; (b) Does paternal age moderate the genetic and environmental etiological factors for ASD? (c) Does paternal age affect normal variation in autistic-like traits? Methods: Two nationally representative twin studies from Sweden (n = 11, 122, assessed at age 9 or 12) and the UK (n = 13, 524, assessed at age 9) were used. Categorical and continuous measures of ASD, autistic-like traits and autistic similarity were calculated and compared over paternal... (More)
Background: Despite extensive efforts, the causes of autism remain unknown. Advancing paternal age has been associated with various neurodevelopmental disorders. We aim to investigate three unresolved questions: (a) What is the association between paternal age and autism spectrum disorders (ASD)?; (b) Does paternal age moderate the genetic and environmental etiological factors for ASD? (c) Does paternal age affect normal variation in autistic-like traits? Methods: Two nationally representative twin studies from Sweden (n = 11, 122, assessed at age 9 or 12) and the UK (n = 13, 524, assessed at age 9) were used. Categorical and continuous measures of ASD, autistic-like traits and autistic similarity were calculated and compared over paternal age categories. Results: Both cohorts showed a strong association between paternal age and the risk for ASD. A U-shaped risk association could be discerned since the offspring of both the youngest and oldest fathers showed an elevation in the risk for ASD. Autistic similarity increased with advancing paternal age in both monozygotic and dizygotic twins. Both cohorts showed significantly higher autistic-like traits in the offspring of the youngest and oldest fathers. Conclusions: Phenomena associated with paternal age are clearly involved in the trajectories leading to autistic-like traits and ASD. Mechanisms influencing the trajectories might differ between older and younger fathers. Molecular genetic studies are now needed in order to further understand the association between paternal age and ASD, as well as normal variation in social, language, and repetitive behaviors in the general population. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and , et al. (More)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and (Less)
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Autism spectrum disorders, paternal age, autistic traits, behavioral genetics
in
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines
volume
51
issue
7
pages
850 - 856
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • wos:000278522900013
  • pmid:20214699
  • scopus:77953189969
ISSN
0021-9630
DOI
10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02223.x
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
cca8050a-ac09-4434-8446-fcd9f253a265 (old id 1582389)
date added to LUP
2016-04-05 06:52:41
date last changed
2022-01-30 02:28:10
@article{cca8050a-ac09-4434-8446-fcd9f253a265,
  abstract     = {{Background: Despite extensive efforts, the causes of autism remain unknown. Advancing paternal age has been associated with various neurodevelopmental disorders. We aim to investigate three unresolved questions: (a) What is the association between paternal age and autism spectrum disorders (ASD)?; (b) Does paternal age moderate the genetic and environmental etiological factors for ASD? (c) Does paternal age affect normal variation in autistic-like traits? Methods: Two nationally representative twin studies from Sweden (n = 11, 122, assessed at age 9 or 12) and the UK (n = 13, 524, assessed at age 9) were used. Categorical and continuous measures of ASD, autistic-like traits and autistic similarity were calculated and compared over paternal age categories. Results: Both cohorts showed a strong association between paternal age and the risk for ASD. A U-shaped risk association could be discerned since the offspring of both the youngest and oldest fathers showed an elevation in the risk for ASD. Autistic similarity increased with advancing paternal age in both monozygotic and dizygotic twins. Both cohorts showed significantly higher autistic-like traits in the offspring of the youngest and oldest fathers. Conclusions: Phenomena associated with paternal age are clearly involved in the trajectories leading to autistic-like traits and ASD. Mechanisms influencing the trajectories might differ between older and younger fathers. Molecular genetic studies are now needed in order to further understand the association between paternal age and ASD, as well as normal variation in social, language, and repetitive behaviors in the general population.}},
  author       = {{Lundström, Sebastian and Haworth, Claire M A and Carlström, Eva and Gillberg, Christopher and Mill, Jonathan and Råstam, Maria and Hultman, Christina M and Ronald, Angelica and Anckarsäter, Henrik and Plomin, Robert and Lichtenstein, Paul and Reichenberg, Abraham}},
  issn         = {{0021-9630}},
  keywords     = {{Autism spectrum disorders; paternal age; autistic traits; behavioral genetics}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{7}},
  pages        = {{850--856}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines}},
  title        = {{Trajectories leading to autism spectrum disorders are affected by paternal age: findings from two nationally representative twin studies.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02223.x}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/j.1469-7610.2010.02223.x}},
  volume       = {{51}},
  year         = {{2010}},
}