EN
Delayed parenthood is a growing phenomenon in western countries due to modern lifestyle. In particular, delayed fatherhood has been described as a factor of risk for several mental disorders and intermediate phenotypes such as poor cognitive or social functions. In this work we want to investigate whether and how advanced paternal age can affect development of offspring. We evaluated UltraSound Vocalization (USV) activity on 4-day old mice, born from both aged and young (control) father, after removal from their nest. We found that the total number of USV in the 5 minutes of testing was significantly higher in pups from aged mice than control (p<0.002) and that the main difference was present during the first minute (p <0.0004). Also, our data showed that the number of high intensity USV was increased in pups from aged mice (p<0.002). We also evaluated the righting reflex ability of 6 and 10-days-old mice. We did not find any difference in righting reflex ability between groups. All together our data show that delayed fatherhood affect communication skills and anxiety likebehavior but no innate righting reflex ability. In conclusion, advanced paternal age affects the development of offspring and these effects are detectable already in first days of post-natal life and they could be first signs of brain diseases in adult life. Future analysis will be necessary to define the long term effect of advanced paternal age and the mechanism underlying developmental alterations in offspring.