Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne Parkville, VIC, Australia.
International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research and Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal Montreal, QC, Canada.
Front Psychol. 2014 Jun 27;5:658. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00658. eCollection 2014.
Music is an integral part of the cultural heritage of all known human societies, with the capacity for music perception and production present in most people. Researchers generally agree that both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the broader realization of music ability, with the degree of music aptitude varying, not only from individual to individual, but across various components of music ability within the same individual. While environmental factors influencing music development and expertise have been well investigated in the psychological and music literature, the interrogation of possible genetic influences has not progressed at the same rate. Recent advances in genetic research offer fertile ground for exploring the genetic basis of music ability. This paper begins with a brief overview of behavioral and molecular genetic approaches commonly used in human genetic analyses, and then critically reviews the key findings of genetic investigations of the components of music ability. Some promising and converging findings have emerged, with several loci on chromosome 4 implicated in singing and music perception, and certain loci on chromosome 8q implicated in absolute pitch and music perception. The gene AVPR1A on chromosome 12q has also been implicated in music perception, music memory, and music listening, whereas SLC6A4 on chromosome 17q has been associated with music memory and choir participation. Replication of these results in alternate populations and with larger samples is warranted to confirm the findings. Through increased research efforts, a clearer picture of the genetic mechanisms underpinning music ability will hopefully emerge.
音乐是所有已知人类社会文化遗产的一个组成部分，大多数人都具有感知和创作音乐的能力。研究人员普遍认为，遗传和环境因素都有助于更广泛地实现音乐能力，音乐能力的程度不仅因人而异，而且在同一个人不同的音乐能力组成部分之间也存在差异。虽然环境因素对音乐发展和专业技能的影响在心理学和音乐文献中得到了很好的研究，但对可能的遗传影响的探究并没有以同样的速度进展。遗传研究的最新进展为探索音乐能力的遗传基础提供了肥沃的土壤。本文首先简要概述了人类遗传分析中常用的行为和分子遗传学方法，然后批判性地回顾了音乐能力组成部分的遗传研究的关键发现。一些有希望和趋同的发现已经出现，例如，4 号染色体上的几个基因座与歌唱和音乐感知有关，8q 号染色体上的某些基因座与绝对音高和音乐感知有关。12q 染色体上的 AVPR1A 基因也与音乐感知、音乐记忆和音乐聆听有关，而 17q 染色体上的 SLC6A4 基因则与音乐记忆和合唱团参与有关。有必要在其他人群和更大的样本中复制这些结果，以确认这些发现。通过增加研究努力，希望能更清楚地了解支持音乐能力的遗传机制。
