Is There Any Genetic Evidence to Explain Why Musical Prodigies Exist?
Kristina Vianca Constantino Tabuena
San Diego Miramar College

Abstract
By definition, one is considered a musical child prodigy if he or she possesses an exceptional ability, at a professional level, for music at a young age. Musical ability is defined as the capacity for music perception and production. This is really interesting because the children looks like they have been hand-picked by nature to have these gifts since they have parents who are just like any of us. This phenomenon has been known for a long time, however, there are only a few researches that have been done about this and that is why we hardly understand why musical geniuses exist and how come it is not common at all. Some theories suggest that prodigies are linked to autism. Some of these children have been treated as subjects for long-term researches to find any genetic factors that will link a trait that characterizes being a musical prodigy. The phenomenon of musical geniuses is a product of both genetic factors, as seen in their family background and link to autism, and environmental factors like family support and their devotion to practice.
Methods
I chose this topic because I find musical prodigies very interesting. I already started researching about them since I have been watching documentaries and following news about them. I watched a documentary about a polyglot, a master of multiple languages, named Tim Doner and I find it fascinating how easy it is for him to teach himself multiple languages and speak it fluently after a while. Right now, I am trying to understand three languages and have come to realize that it is not easy. I always wonder if it is possible to become a prodigy or what does it take to be one.
Knowing if there is any genetic evidence why musical prodigies will help answer those questions. To know this, I have used scholarly sources that are mainly from the internet for my research such as scientific articles or scholarly articles from journal databases namely Karger publisher, the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine and Clinical Medicine( the Journal of the Royal College of Physicians) to gather information about mind research and musical prodigy study.
Data
Link between Autism and Child Prodigies According to a study performed by researches from the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio, child prodigies and people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have genetic similarities. They have observed that ASD has a higher percentage of occurrences in prodigy families than in the general population. 56% of prodigies had first- or second-degree family member with ASD and 33% among them had multiple relatives with ASD. Researchers who performed a genome-wide analysis on 11 prodigy families identified a locus on chromosome 1 where the traits of prodigy and ASD are both found. They have concluded that “The evidence, when considered in total is, suggestive that the locus on chromosome 1 influences both prodigy and ASD in these families.” (Ruthsatz, et.al, 2015) However, they were not able to specify exactly which trait is which, therefore indicating that there might have been an overlap on the traits or that it may be the same trait but manifest differently phenotypically (it may manifest as a trait for prodigy or ASD). Currently, it is considered to be the first molecular genetic evidence that proves that there is a shared etiology between autism and prodigy.

Family Background and Environment of Musical Prodigies
A research done by Professor John Jenkins suggests that genetics play a significant role to the phenomenon of musical prodigies. According to his study Prodigies of Nature, “Even with such family histories it is difficult to disentangle the genetic and environmental contributions since the family would provide very favorable conditions to excel in music.” (Jenkins, 2005) In most cases, prodigies have a family background of musicians and composers. Therefore, child prodigies possess innate talent that they have possibly inherited from the family. For example, aside from Amadeus Mozart, Nannerl, Mozart’s sister, was a great player of the harpsicord at a young age and Leopold, Mozart’s father, was known as deputy Kapellmeister for being a great composer and author of a manual on violin playing that was widely used during their time. Family support is also the key why musical prodigies have excelled in their fields. Sometimes family pressure can be intense for the musical prodigies especially when the parents and relatives are also musically inclined. Because of this, prodigies devote their time to practice and performance than a normal social life during their childhood. What makes a young musical prodigy different from their age group is that they have unusual determination to excel, persistence to practice for long hours and motivation from the people around them.

Individual Prodigy Results
Researchers Joanne Ruthsatz and Jourdan B. Urbach conducted a study that concentrated on eight prodigies (of different ages) to find similarities among them. The researchers focused on their IQ scores and their memory ability using the Stanford-Binet test. According to the results, seven out of eight prodigies have an average IQ score of 128 which supports the idea that prodigies have elevated general intelligence compared to the average human while prodigy six had a score of 108 (which is still at the high end range of the average score). In terms of working memory scores, all eight prodigies scored over three standard deviations above the average in the range 139-152 and a mean of 147. These results imply that all of them are in the 99th percentile on the measure.
Another factor considered in this study is the recurrence of ASD among the family members of the eight prodigies. Half of the subjects’ families have a history of autism diagnosis. In line with this, the researchers have expanded their survey to find out the AQ scores of the prodigies that focuses on socials skills, attention switching and attention to detail. The interesting thing about the results is that the prodigies showed an elevated AQ scores (an average of 8.5) but phenotypically displayed minimal deficits which characterize autism. This makes them different from autistic savants. Autistic savants show signs of multiple deficits affiliated to autism. That is why prodigies, people diagnosed with ASD and autistic savants are not entirely the same but they are considered to be linked to one another. Although, as mentioned in data set #1, the modifier of each trait is still unknown and so researchers Ruthsatz and Urbach concluded “The existence of such a modifier could have significant benefits for the autistic community. Additional research should be conducted to explore this possibility and identify any such moderator.” (Ruthsatz, et.al, 2012)

Family and Twin studies on Musical Perception
In the research The Genetic Basis of Music Ability headed by Yi Ting Tan, the researches have drawn a conclusion that neuroscientific findings show a genetic basis of musical ability. Two relative studies on heritability of music perception among family pedigrees and twins support this claim.
The research takes not of a study conducted by a group of researchers, headed by Dennis Drayna, measures h2, Heritability in the narrow sense, which is the ratio of the additive genetic variance to the total phenotypic variance of the trait (in this case, musical ability) from family pedigrees. Karma Music Test and Seashore pitch and rhythm discrimination tests were assessed among 767 people from 76 Finnish families and the combined tests scores of 46,48, 21 and 60% show that there is a high h2 (heritability estimate) for pitch discrimination and music perception. Based on their findings, auditory neural functions have highly heritable differences which cause variation in the ability of humans to recognize musical pitch.
In the same research, another study was mentioned that compares the similarities of melodic perception ability among 136 monozygotic and 148 dizygotic twin pairs. The Distorted Tunes Test (DTT) conducted estimates 71-80% of heritability with no effect of the environment, therefore indicates that there is a substantial genetic component that influences musical ability.
Results
The study on eight prodigies defines what a prodigy is. This study agrees to the claim that there is a link between autism and prodigy. The other three topics talk about heritability. The three studies, specifically Molecular Genetic Evidence for Shared Etiology, the Genetic Basis of Musical Ability and Prodigies of Nature, agree that there is a genetic basis to explain the phenomenon of musical prodigies. The study on the shared etiology of autism and prodigy on family pedigrees states that exceptional ability is possibly inheritable. It is also common that relatives and family members of musical prodigies are also seen as, if not exceptional, talented in the same field. At the same time, it is found that if they possess the same genetic component that determines musical ability then it proves that the trait is inheritable. Generally, musical ability, like musical perception and pitch discrimination, is an inheritable component as mentioned in the research The Genetic Basis of Musical Ability. Mozart’s family background of musicians, his sister as a great harpsicord player and his father as a music composer, is an example of this based on the research Prodigies of Nature.
Discussion
It should be clear from what has been stated above that a prodigy is gifted with a distinct raw talent in a specific field and that they have at least a slightly higher memory ability and IQ score than average. Raw talent or innate ability is viewed as something that comes naturally and within oneself. Scientifically, this means that this trait has already been encoded in the person’s genes way before he or she is born. The Stanford-Binet test is a standardized test that measures the memory ability and the intelligence quotient (IQ). According to the study on the eight prodigies, they all have similar and relevant results and they had innate talent but in different specific fields. Therefore, a standard definition is set to consider one as a musical genius. However, this is inadequate as a basis to consider a musical prodigy. It is because savants and people with Autism have the same trait too. This means that they can also have really high memory ability and a high IQ. The difference between the three is that they manifest the trait physically different. Savants and people with autism display deficits like retardation. Prodigies do not show this and have minimal deficits like behavioral issues but this is due to the upbringing and environment of the prodigy during his or her childhood. Inheritance also plays a role to the existence of musical prodigies. Whenever someone justifies their behavior or why they are good at something, they usually say “it runs in the family.” It is very rare to find a musical prodigy to be the only one in their family tree to be talented in music. Usually they have first or second degree relatives that are talented in music. It is because music perception and pitch discrimination has a high heritability estimate at 60% and 71-80%. In some cases, musical prodigies also have family members diagnosed with ASD. It is because there is a shared etiology between prodigy and autism. There has always been a debate between nature and nurture. But based on the gathered information, both genetics and the environmental conditions affect the existence and becoming of a musical prodigy. Therefore, another factor to be considered is the environmental condition of the prodigy during his or her childhood. The encouragement or negligence of the family can affect the ability of the musical prodigy. In a good environment, the musical prodigy can decide to take on a music career. Like Mozart, he became one of the greatest musicians in history because his father gave up his rising career to coach his son and possibly his sister too. However, without enough nurture, the musical prodigy can easily give up and take on a different path. In worst cases, he or she would not even realize that he or she has the potential to be one. In science, a theory is acceptable as an explanation for any phenomenon if the results from multiple and repeated tests and experiments are the same and consistent and that it is never proven wrong. Since musical prodigies possess the same characteristics- regardless of their field of expertise, there is a commonality in the lineage of musicians, and there was no musical prodigy known to be distinctively very unique from the rest, this is enough to make a genetic theory to explain the phenomenon
Conclusion
In order to be considered a prodigy, the individual should possess a level of general intelligence above average and a remarkable memory and detail-oriented ability. Innate musical talent, family support and practice are what make a musical prodigy. Numerous tests were done and the results were consistent that in general music ability is inheritable. This was based on high heritability estimates and prevalence of musically inclined members in the family lineage of musical prodigies. However, musical geniuses can only fully reach their highest potential in music if they have inherited innate talent and live in environmental conditions wherein they get the push they need and support they needed from family pressure and self-determination to devote long hours for practice.
The common idea that there is a link between exceptional talent and autism is proven to be true by two factors: the commonality of prodigies with family members diagnosed with ASD and the same loci of the genius and ASD traits in chromosome 1. But since researchers were not able to specify which trait is which, it is possible that the genotypic trait may be the same for prodigy and autism but may not be phenotypically the same which makes this the first molecular evidence of shared etiology between autism and prodigy. Even without looking deep into the genetic factors, it is already evident in our eyes when we look in the family trees of prodigies that there is a link between prodigy and autism.
In conclusion, musical prodigies are considered unique because they have an incredible memory and an elevated IQ and that they have mastered a musical ability at a young age. The evidence to explain why musical prodigies exist is that they have inherited their musical ability trait from a bloodline of musicians and have first and second degree relatives diagnosed with ASD. In the sense of genetics, this trait is found in chromosome one which is the same with the component for ASD. However, they are in different categories from savants and autistic people because they phenotypically manifest the same trait in a different way. At the same time, environmental factors should also be considered. Musical prodigies would not reach their highest potential if they do not delegate enough time and practice to enhance their musical talent. This is possible if they have full support from their family and the people around them and they have the necessary equipment to practice.

REFERENCES
Jenkins, J. S. (2005). Prodigies of Nature. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 98(6), 277–
280. Retrieved from November 12, 2015 from US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health website: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1142238/

Ruthsatz J, Petrill S, A, Li N, Wolock S, L, Bartlett C, W, (July 2015) Molecular Genetic
Evidence for Shared Etiology of Autism and Prodigy. Hum Hered 2015;79:53-59 Retrieved December 1, 2015 from Karger website: http://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/373890#

Ruthsatz, J., & Urbach, J.B., (2012) Child prodigy: A novel cognitive profile places elevated general intelligence, exceptional working memory and attention to detail..., Intelligence
Retrieved December 3, 2015 from Scott Barry Kaufman website: http://scottbarrykaufman.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Ruthsatz-Urbach-2012.pdf

Tan, Y. T., McPherson, G. E., Peretz, I., Berkovic, S. F., & Wilson, S. J. (2014). The genetic basis of music ability. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 658. Retrieved November 27, 2015 from US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health website:
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