Father's age affects children's intelligence

Scientists say, the older you are, the more likely a man will be born with less intelligent children.

John McGrath, head of the research team at the Institute of Brain Research, University of Queensland, Australia, said that this is the first study in the world that has a great influence on men, especially in the present man tend to marry. family and birth late.

'The results of the study startle us because we still think the father's age is less relevant to the child's brain , ' McGrath said. Previously, scientists have concluded that older men may give birth to children with schizophrenia, autism, difficulty pronouncing, seizure and stunting . but the problems of There is no research in wisdom.

Children of older fathers have lower IQ scores than other children.

McGrath's team examined data collected on 33,000 babies born in the United States between 1959 and 1965, whose father was between the ages of 15 and 65.

IQ scores taken at the age of 8 months, 4 years and 7 years of 33,000 children show that children born to older fathers often score lower than those of children. other children. This trend occurs in families with economic conditions and good health.

However, McGrath also said that the research team is not enough to confirm fully the effects of father's age affecting the future of children because they only study when children are 7 years old. 'Maybe the children of older fathers will catch up with other children in the future,' McGrath said.

There is now a hypothesis that explains the age-effect of father-to-children based on the number of sperm cell division of a man through the stages. Male sperm cells divide 150 times when they are 20 years old and 840 times when they are 50 years old.

When young, male sperm has fewer division times than in old age, thereby reducing mutations in the genetic process.

Researchers said that having too many cell division could increase the mutation's ability to "copy errors". "We think that older men accumulate more mutations in sperm cell development. These errors accumulate and increase the risk of giving birth to children with health problems. most likely these errors will be inherited to the next generation, " McGrath said.