Neonatal mouse ultrasonic vocalizations serve as social signals for vocal communication that elicit maternal behavior and may serve as a model for human neonatal crying.A research group led by Professor Noriko Ohsumi of the Graduate School of Tohoku University found that paternal aging reduces the number and duration of ultrasonic vocalizations in offspring mice, and changes the vocalization pattern.
Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by abnormal social communication and stereotypic behavior.It has been repeatedly reported that the aging of fathers is a risk factor for children with autism spectrum disorders.In this study, the research group analyzed in detail the effects of paternal aging on the early development of vocal communication in offspring using a classification method using machine learning.
We examined the number and duration of ultrasonic vocalizations of pups born to young fathers and pups born to aged fathers. decreased, and the call pattern changed.Pups born to young fathers showed convergent vocalization characteristics during postnatal development and had a rich vocal repertoire, whereas pups born to aging fathers had a smaller repertoire and were more divergent. There were 'atypical' individuals who exhibited vocalization patterns and deviated from the typical vocal developmental trajectory.
This study shows that paternal aging has a significant impact on the development of early vocal communication in the next generation.In particular, for the first time, we analyzed in detail the phenomenon of an increase in the number of individuals with diverse "personalities."This is expected to contribute to the elucidation of the developmental process of speech communication and the new neural basis of neurodevelopmental disorders.
Paper information:[iScience] Advanced paternal age diversifies individual trajectories of vocalization patterns in neonatal mice
