Genetic resonance: dissecting the heritability and genetic correlations of human hearing acuity

This study presents a frequency-specific, pedigree-based assessment of hearing acuity heritability. We analysed 34 Utah Centre d'Etude du Polymorphisme Humain (CEPH) pedigrees comprising 464 individuals, using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and audiometric evaluations. Our analysis reveals a general decline in narrow-sense heritability as frequency increases. When calculated using the Sequential Oligogenic Linkage Analysis Routines (SOLAR) software package, narrow-sense heritability estimates drop from 51% at 250 Hz to 30% at 8000 Hz. Genetic correlations (Rho(G)), the degree to which genetic variation in one trait correlates with another, are higher for hearing acuity at similar frequencies. For example, Rho(G) between 250 and 500 Hz is 0.80, and Rho(G) between 6000 and 8000 Hz is 0.91. In contrast, frequencies distant from each other exhibit decreased Rho(G) with a genetic correlation of only 0.21 for hearing acuity at frequencies 250 and 8000 Hz. This assessment of the genetics underlying hearing acuity in a family-based design provides new details of genetic factors influencing hearing acuity in a frequency-specific approach.