Article Synopsis
- A genome-wide association study identified 69 genetic loci linked to beat synchronization in over 600,000 individuals, showing that this trait is polygenic with a heritability of 13%-16%.
- The heritability was notably associated with genes active in brain tissues and regulatory elements specific to both fetal and adult brains, highlighting the importance of the central nervous system in musicality.
- Validation efforts showed a connection between genetic markers for beat synchronization and traits related to motor function and processing speed, suggesting shared genetic factors that could lead to further research in these areas.
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Article Abstract
Moving in synchrony to the beat is a fundamental component of musicality. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study to identify common genetic variants associated with beat synchronization in 606,825 individuals. Beat synchronization exhibited a highly polygenic architecture, with 69 loci reaching genome-wide significance (P < 5 × 10) and single-nucleotide-polymorphism-based heritability (on the liability scale) of 13%-16%. Heritability was enriched for genes expressed in brain tissues and for fetal and adult brain-specific gene regulatory elements, underscoring the role of central-nervous-system-expressed genes linked to the genetic basis of the trait. We performed validations of the self-report phenotype (through separate experiments) and of the genome-wide association study (polygenic scores for beat synchronization were associated with patients algorithmically classified as musicians in medical records of a separate biobank). Genetic correlations with breathing function, motor function, processing speed and chronotype suggest shared genetic architecture with beat synchronization and provide avenues for new phenotypic and genetic explorations.
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| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9489530 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01359-x | DOI Listing |
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