Genome-wide association study of musical beat synchronization demonstrates high polygenicity

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<5×10−8) 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.

Maria Niarchou, Daniel E. Gustavson, J. Fah Sathirapongsasuti, Manuel Anglada-Tort, Else Eising, Eamonn Bell, Evonne McArthur, Peter Straub, 23andMe Research Team, J. Devin McAuley, John A. Capra, Fredrik Ullén, Nicole Creanza, Miriam A. Mosing, David A. Hinds, Lea K. Davis, Nori Jacoby, Reyna L. Gordon