OVERLAP BETWEEN GENETIC FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH RISK OF SCHIZOPHRENIA, MATERNAL AGE AT FIRST BIRTH

The risk of schizophrenia in children associated with younger and older maternal ages appears to be partly explained by the genetic association between schizophrenia and the mother’s age at first birth.

Researchers of the University of New England and New South Wales, Australia, investigated the genetic relationship between schizophrenia and age of women at first birth using multiple independent genome-wide association study data sets.

"In summary, this study provides evidence for a significant overlap between genetic factors associated with risk of schizophrenia and genetic factors associated with age at first birth. To our knowledge, this is the first study to explore a genetic relationship between schizophrenia and age at first birth using independent unrelated samples based on genomic data. We conclude that women with high genetic predisposition to schizophrenia tend to have their first child at an early age or a later age compared with women in the general population," the study concludes.

Thanks to: sciencedaily.com