http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/249454.php
The article addresses the topic of genetic mutations causing both autism and schizophrenia. Two defective genes were identified :EPHB2 and CUL3. what is unsusal about this article is that are looking at defects in the father's genes. The study yielded results showing that after 29 men were more likely to produce genetic abnormalities. "For every extra year in the father's age, there was a two-mutation per year rise in offspring". I am really interested in what everyone thinks? I haven't heard of many studies showing genetic mutations caused by the male genomes. I'd love to read other articles on similar studies
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ReplyDeleteI just read this article and definitely agree that it is really interesting that they found a greater link in the age of the fathers as opposed to the age of the mothers. I feel like most of the research I've ever heard in this area tends to point to the mother as the factor in, autism especially. That their age is the most significant factor in a child being diagnosed with autism. However, I noticed that it said the average age of the fathers they studied was about 30 years old. I do not feel like that is a very "old" age. In order to see more accurate results I feel like they should look more closely at fathers who are significantly older than that. I also saw that they only studied 78 families of children with a genetic disorder. I think that before they can draw such conclusions that are so unlike what scientists originally thought, they need to conduct the study on a larger scale as well. I do think the results really are interesting though from a perspective that I know i don't think about when i think about parents age in terms of genetic disorders!
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that many of the illness they have identified genes with (Autism, epilepsy, and cancer) are diseases that are ones we know the least about. I'd be curious to see new research that comes out about these genes and the age of the fathers increases autism and schizophrenia.
ReplyDelete- Morgan Eary