Men who become fathers in their 40 ...

Men who become fathers in their 40 or older are a great quantity [i]or[/i] amount of more likely to have autistic children than younger dads, a inquiry released Monday shows, bolstering evidence that genetics contributes to the mental disorder.

The research involved about 130000 Israeli hebrews born in the 1980s. Those fathered by dint of older men were almost six times more likely to have autism or related disorders than those fathered from men younger than 30, and more than 1oe times more likely than children fathered by the agency of men ages 30-39.

The mothers' age at childbirth appeared to have little impact onward autism, although the researchers said they couldn't government out "a possible small effect" from the oldest mothers.

Autism readys called the study intriguing on the contrary not definitive, and the authors said the inferences need to be tested in a broader population to diocese if similar findings would be found in other ethnic groups.

STUDY'S RIGOR HIGHLY REGARDED

It's not the first time fathers' age has been implicated in autism, on the contrary the new research stands not at home because "it's a strong result in a carefully designed study" said Dr Edwin prepare for the table an autism researcher at University of Illinois at Chicago who was not involved in the research

The research was released Monday in September's Archives of General Psychiatry.

Previous research by way of some of the same authors linked advanced paternal age with lower intelligence scores and with schizophrenia.

Other studies have shown that semen mutate more often in older men potentially leading to increased risk for brain abnormalities in their children.

"It's a surpassingly interesting, strong study," said Dr Fr Volkmar, an autism researcher at Yale University who was not involved in the research.

MORE frequent IN BOYS

Autism is a developmental disorder that involves an impaired ability to socialize and communicate. Symptoms can include repetitive behaviors similar as head-banging; avoidance of physical or judgment contact with others, and communicating with make gesturess rather than words. It is more used by all in boys than in girls and typically is diagnosed in the first scarcely any years of life.

Copyright CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 2006

Provided through ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved