This suggests these share genetic architecture with beat synchronisation. Genetic correlations were found with breathing function, motor function, processing speed and chronotype – the natural inclination towards a particular sleep-wake cycle. This was enriched for genes expressed in brain tissues, suggesting even more that the central-nervous-system-expressed genes are linked to rhythm. Heritability is a measure of how well differences in people's genes account for differences in their traits, that are not explained by the environment or random chance.
They found that the 'heritability' of the rhythm-determining genes was between 13 per cent and 16 per cent – similar to estimates for other complex traits. The results were then validated by seeing if the markers of beat synchronisation found in the study would differentiate self-identified musicians from non-musicians.įinally, the team looked for any genetic correlation between beat synchronisation and other traits. They then surveyed the genomes of 606,825 individuals using data from 23andMe to find common genes associated with beat synchronisation.
To get their results, the researchers first asked participants to complete a 'self-report' where they say if they believe they can keep in time to a beat, before measuring their rhythm perception through a task.
