Children conceived by older fathers are more likely to develop early-onset schizophrenia, and every 10 years on a father’s age increases the probability of the condition in their children by 30 percent, researchers said on Friday.
Although congenital disorders have previously been linked to the age of the mother, few studies have focused on the relationship between paternal age and children’s health, said Chen Wei-jen (陳為堅), a professor of public health at National Taiwan University.
After examining the family history of about 2,900 people with schizophrenia, Chen’s team determined that advanced paternal age could be correlated to early-onset schizophrenia, defined as developing the condition before 18, he said.
Photo: Wu Liang-yi, Taipei Times
The team conducted a genomic analysis on about 1,700 people and their families, which indicated that each decade of paternal aging after 20 increases the child’s risk of early-onset schizophrenia by a factor of 1.28, he said.
There are two hypotheses that could explain the correlation: one is that the quality of sperm — which is created by cell division through the entire life of males — tends to decline with multiplying genetic mutations, resulting in congenital disorders among offspring; the second is that the phenomenon is caused by other characteristics, such as a pre-existing history of mental illness, the team said.
About 66 percent of children conceived by men aged 50 or older will develop some kind of early-onset mental illness, said Wang Shi-heng (王世亨), an associate professor of occupational safety and health at China Medical University.
The ideal age to father children is 25 to 29, when the sperm is fully developed and relatively free of mutations, he said.
Ministry of the Interior data from 2017 showed that the average age for Taiwanese men to have their first child was 34.5, up from 30.3 in 1991.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS