1
|
Fram NR, Liu T, Lense MD. Social interaction links active musical rhythm engagement and expressive communication in autistic toddlers. Autism Res 2024; 17:338-354. [PMID: 38197536 PMCID: PMC10922396 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Rhythm is implicated in both social and linguistic development. Rhythm perception and production skills are also key vulnerabilities in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism which impact social communication. However, direct links between musical rhythm engagement and expressive communication in autism is not clearly evident. This absence of a direct connection between rhythm and expressive communication indicates that the mechanism of action between rhythm and expressive communication may recruit other cognitive or developmental factors. We hypothesized that social interactions, including general interpersonal relationships and interactive music-making involving children and caregivers, were a significant such factor, particularly in autism. To test this, we collected data from parents of autistic and nonautistic children 14-36 months of age, including parent reports of their children's rhythmic musical engagement, general social skills, parent-child musical interactions, and expressive communication skills. Path analysis revealed a system of independent, indirect pathways from rhythmic musical engagement to expressive communication via social skills and parent-child musical interactions in autistic toddlers. Such a system implies both that social and musical interactions represent crucial links between rhythm and language and that different kinds of social interactions play parallel, independent roles linking rhythmic musical engagement with expressive communication skills.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Noah R. Fram
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
| | - Talia Liu
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Boston University
| | - Miriam D. Lense
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Bignardi G, Smit DJA, Vessel EA, Trupp MD, Ticini LF, Fisher SE, Polderman TJC. Genetic effects on variability in visual aesthetic evaluations are partially shared across visual domains. Commun Biol 2024; 7:55. [PMID: 38184755 PMCID: PMC10771521 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05710-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The aesthetic values that individuals place on visual images are formed and shaped over a lifetime. However, whether the formation of visual aesthetic value is solely influenced by environmental exposure is still a matter of debate. Here, we considered differences in aesthetic value emerging across three visual domains: abstract images, scenes, and faces. We examined variability in two major dimensions of ordinary aesthetic experiences: taste-typicality and evaluation-bias. We build on two samples from the Australian Twin Registry where 1547 and 1231 monozygotic and dizygotic twins originally rated visual images belonging to the three domains. Genetic influences explained 26% to 41% of the variance in taste-typicality and evaluation-bias. Multivariate analyses showed that genetic effects were partially shared across visual domains. Results indicate that the heritability of major dimensions of aesthetic evaluations is comparable to that of other complex social traits, albeit lower than for other complex cognitive traits. The exception was taste-typicality for abstract images, for which we found only shared and unique environmental influences. Our study reveals that diverse sources of genetic and environmental variation influence the formation of aesthetic value across distinct visual domains and provides improved metrics to assess inter-individual differences in aesthetic value.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo Bignardi
- Language and Genetics Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
- Max Planck School of Cognition, Stephanstrasse 1a, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Dirk J A Smit
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Edward A Vessel
- Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of Psychology, City College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - MacKenzie D Trupp
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Luca F Ticini
- Department of Psychology, Webster Vienna Private University, Vienna, Austria
| | - Simon E Fisher
- Language and Genetics Department, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Tinca J C Polderman
- Clinical Developmental Psychology, Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- VKC Psyche, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychosocial Care, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Wesseldijk LW, Ullén F, Mosing MA. Music and Genetics. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105302. [PMID: 37400010 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
The first part of this review provides a brief historical background of behavior genetic research and how twin and genotype data can be utilized to study genetic influences on individual differences in human behavior. We then review the field of music genetics, from its emergence to large scale twin studies and the recent, first molecular genetic studies of music-related traits. In the second part of the review, we discuss the wider utility of twin and genotype data beyond estimating heritability and gene-finding. We present four examples of music studies that utilized genetically informative samples to analyze causality and gene-environmental interplay for music skills. Overall, research in the field of music genetics has gained much momentum over the last decade and its findings highlight the importance of studying both environmental and genetic factors and particularly their interplay, paving the way for exciting and fruitful times to come.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura W Wesseldijk
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
| | - Fredrik Ullén
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Miriam A Mosing
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Australia; Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|