芬兰赫尔辛基大学和西贝柳斯音乐学院研究人员的一项最新研究成果表明，人类的音乐天赋具有很强的遗传性。
当地媒体23日报道说，芬兰研究人员选择来自31个芬兰家族的400名音乐家、业余爱好者和未受过音乐训练的人为研究对象，通过听觉构建能力测试、西肖尔音高分辨和时间辨别测试等评估受试者的音乐才能。此外，研究人员还采集了12岁以上受试者的血样。
结果发现，在芬兰音乐世家的音乐才能中，约有50%可解释为基因因素。研究人员说，这是首次在分子遗传学层面揭示音乐天赋的遗传性。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原文出处：
Journal of Human Genetics , (10 February 2011) | doi:10.1038/jhg.2011.13
Association of the arginine vasopressin receptor 1A (AVPR1A) haplotypes with listening to music
Liisa Ukkola-Vuoti, Jaana Oikkonen, P?ivi Onkamo, Kai Karma, Pirre Raijas and Irma J?rvel?
AbstractMusic is listened in all cultures. We hypothesize that willingness to produce and perceive sound and music is social communication that needs musical aptitude. Here, listening to music was surveyed using a web-based questionnaire and musical aptitude using the auditory structuring ability test (Karma Music test) and Carl Seashores tests for pitch and for time. Three highly polymorphic microsatellite markers (RS3, RS1 and AVR) of the arginine vasopressin receptor 1A (AVPR1A) gene, previously associated with social communication and attachment, were genotyped and analyzed in 31 Finnish families (n=437 members) using family-based association analysis. A positive association between the AVPR1A haplotype (RS1 and AVR) and active current listening to music (permuted P=0.0019) was observed. Other AVPR1A haplotype (RS3 and AVR) showed association with lifelong active listening to music (permuted P=0.0022). In addition to AVPR1A, two polymorphisms (5-HTTLPR and variable number of tandem repeat) of human serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4), a candidate gene for many neuropsychiatric disorders and previously associated with emotional processing, were analyzed. No association between listening to music and the polymorphisms of SLC6A4 were detected. The results suggest that willingness to listen to music is related to neurobiological pathways affecting social affiliation and communication.
