Abstract
Uncovering the genetic underpinnings of musical ability and engagement is a foundational step for exploring their wide-ranging associations with cognition, health, and neurodevelopment. Prior studies have focused on using twin and family designs, demonstrating moderate heritability of musical phenotypes. The current study used genome-wide complex trait analysis and polygenic score (PGS) approaches utilizing genotype data to examine genetic influences on two musicality traits (rhythmic perception and music engagement) in N = 1792 unrelated adults in the Vanderbilt Online Musicality Study. Meta-analyzed heritability estimates (including a replication sample of Swedish individuals) were 31% for rhythmic perception and 12% for self-reported music engagement. A PGS derived from a recent study on beat synchronization ability predicted both rhythmic perception (β = 0.11) and music engagement (β = 0.19) in our sample, suggesting that genetic influences underlying self-reported beat synchronization ability also influence individuals' rhythmic discrimination aptitude and the degree to which they engage in music. Cross-trait analyses revealed a modest contribution of PGSs from several nonmusical traits (from the cognitive, personality, and circadian chronotype domains) to individual differences in musicality (β = -0.06 to 0.07). This work sheds light on the complex relationship between the genetic architecture of musical rhythm processing, beat synchronization, music engagement, and other nonmusical traits.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 140-154 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences |
| Volume | 1521 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 30 Jan 2023 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2023 |
Bibliographical note
© 2023 New York Academy of Sciences.Funding
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institutes of Health under award numbers R01DC016977, DP2HD098859, and UL1TR000445, as well as the National Science Foundation under award number NSF1926794. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. National Institutes of Health, Grant/Award Numbers: R01DC016977, DP2HD098859, UL1TR000445; National Science Foundation, Grant/Award Number: NSF1926794
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| National Institutes of Health | R01DC016977, UL1TR000445, DP2HD098859 |
| National Science Foundation | 1926794 |
Keywords
- Music
- Cognition
- Individuality
- Phenotype
- Perception
- Auditory Perception