Grandfather’s Age Raises Risk of Schizophrenia

Scientists have known for years that the children of older fathers have a greater risk of developing schizophrenia than children of younger fathers. Now researchers led by Christina Hultman, Ph.D., of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm have confirmed that finding and added to it: the same effect was seen in children whose maternal (but not paternal) grandfathers were over 55. That suggests that a mechanism involving the X-chromosome (women have two X-chromosomes, men have one X- and one Y-chromosome) may have some relationship with the link between a father’s age and the child’s risk of schizophrenia. For more about risk factors and schizophrenia, see Psychiatric News.

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