Genome-wide investigation of prosody perception: evidence for shared genetic influences between speech rhythm, musical rhythm, and reading traits.

Prosody perception is an often overlooked aspect of human language despite its importance in facilitating spoken language comprehension. Sensitivity to prosodic cues varies between individuals, and prosody perception skills are shown to be associated with various language- and reading-related outcomes. Despite the importance of prosody perception in human communication, its underlying biology is poorly understood. The current study investigates the genetic architecture of prosody (speech rhythm) perception and explores its evolutionary roots. We conducted a GWAS of prosody (N = 1,501) as measured by scores on the Test of Prosody via Syllable Emphasis ("TOPsy"). GWAS results yielded 14 suggestive significant signals (p-value < 5.00 x 10^-6). Gene-set enrichment analysis identified shared genetic architecture between human prosody perception and key vocal learning brain regions in songbirds, suggesting that human prosody perception may have evolutionary convergence in communication mechanisms in animal vocal learning. Additionally, cross-trait polygenic score analyses suggests shared genetic influences between prosody perception and both word reading and musical beat synchronization, emphasizing how genetics influence prosody perception and its associations with communication-, education-, and music-related traits. These initial efforts could inform advances in communication sciences and disorders as well as educational contexts.