Decrease of learning capacity in offspring with increasing paternal age in the rat

Abstract

The same 15 male Wistar rats at the ages of 2.5, 6, 10, 14, 18, and 22 months were successively randomly mated with 2.5-month-old females. In a separate experiment, 15 male Wistar rats at the age of 2.5 months and 15 at the age of 23 months were simultaneously randomly mated with 2.5-month-old females. Offspring were evaluated in regard to the mean number per litter, sex ratio, frequency of gross external malformations, growth pattern, and mortality in the first 13 weeks of life and reproductive capacity at 13 weeks of age. They were also evaluated for spontaneous activity and emotionality with an open field test and for learning capacity with an avoidance conditioning test, both carried out between 10 and 13 weeks of age. Only learning capacity of the offspring, expressed in percentage of success for male or female, decreased consistently and significantly as the father's age increased. But females did not seem to be affected in the same way as males. The genetic implications are briefly discussed.

Parent‐of‐origin and trans‐generational germline influences on behavioral development: The interacting roles of mothers, fathers, and grandparents

“…One example of this is animal studies that have tested the effect of paternal age on altered offspring development. Rat offspring born to males aged over 22 months are significantly poorer at acquiring a conditioned avoidance response compared to offspring sired by younger males although no differences in anxiety-like behavior are observed (Auroux, 1983). In mice, male and female offspring born to sires who are over 120 weeks of age are found to have reduced longevity, diminished reproductive success, retarded sensorimotor development, inhibited adult spontaneous activity and impaired passive-avoidance learning compared to mice born to younger sires (Garcia-Palomares, Navarro, et al, 2009;.…”

Age paternel et risques pour la descendance

“…II est ainsi possible d'envisager que, travers ces anomalies, I'&ge paternel contribue aux ASR. Notons cependant que, autant qu'ils puissent etre transposes dans I'espece humaine, los r6sultats exp6rimentaux que nous avons nous-memes obtenus chez le rat ne montrent pas de diminution du nombre moyen de petits par portee en fonction du vieillissement paternel [2].…”

Age paternel et descendance

“…Nous avons en effet montr~ que, ~ fige maternel constant, le vieillissement paternel entra~nait : -chez l'animal, une diminution progressive de la capacit~ d'apprentissage de la prog6niture ( Figure 5) [37].…”