Abstract
Variation in the age at onset of a multifactorial disease often reflects variation in cause. Here we show a linear latitudinal gradient in the mean age at onset of schizophrenia in 13 northern hemisphere cities, ranging from 25 years old in Cali, Columbia (at 4° north) to 35 years old in Moscow, Russia (at 56° north). To our knowledge, this striking association has not been previously reported. We consider several explanations, including the effects of pathogen stress, natural selection, sexual selection, migration, life-history profiles, or some combination of these factors, and we propose a test of competing causal hypotheses.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 58-63 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Schizophrenia research |
Volume | 94 |
Issue number | 1-3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 2007 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Age at onset
- Evolution
- Fitness indicator
- Latitudinal gradient
- Migration
- Schizophrenia
- Sexual selection
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Biological Psychiatry