Paternal age and epilepsy in the offspring

Advanced paternal age is associated with a higher rate of de novo mutation in sperm cells and mental disorders in the offspring. In a population based cohort study of 96,654 children, we found that fathers aged 35 years or more were slightly more likely to have a child diagnosed with epilepsy compared to fathers aged 25-29 years. Our data suggest a modest paternal effect on the aetiology of epilepsy.