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A twin study of auditory processing indicates that dichotic listening ability is a strongly heritable trait

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Abstract

We administered tests commonly used in the diagnosis of auditory processing disorders (APDs) to twins recruited from the general population. We observed significant correlations in test scores between co-twins. Our analyses of test score correlations among 106 MZ and 33 DZ twin pairs indicate that dichotic listening ability is a highly heritable trait. Dichotic listening is the ability to identify and distinguish different stimuli presented simultaneously to each ear. Deficits in dichotic listening skills indicate a lesion or defect in interhemispheric information processing. Such defects or lesions can be prominent in elderly listeners, language-impaired children, stroke victims, and individuals with PAX6 mutations. Our data indicates that other auditory processing abilities are influenced by shared environment. These findings should help illuminate the etiology of APDs, and help to clarify the relationships between auditory processing abilities and learning/language disorders associated with APDs.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by NIDCD intramural funds Z01-DC000035, Z01-DC000039, Z01-DC000046, and Z01-DC000064. We thank Frank Musiek, who developed and provided us with the COLT. Thanks to James Jerger and Jeff Martin, who developed the University of Texas dichotic consonant–vowel–consonant test stimuli (UT-CVCs). We thank Jessica Barrett, Jennifer Bentley, Kim Laws, Tom and Mary Ann Mastroianni, Erin McAlister, Kara Schvartz, Allyson Segar, Pamela Buethe and Lauren Wisman for their valuable help in administering hearing and auditory processing tests at the Twins Festivals. Our thanks to Susan Sullivan (NIDCD) and Andrew Griffith (NIDCD) for critically reading the manuscript. We thank the anonymous reviewers, whose suggestions improved the manuscript. We thank Sandy Miller and the entire Twins Day Festival committee for their help and support.

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Author notes

  1. Dongliang Ge

    Present address: Duke Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy, Center for Population Genomics and Pharmacogenetics, Durham, NC, 27710, USA

  2. Harold Snieder

    Present address: Department of Epidemiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, 5 Research Court, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA

    Robert J. Morell, Dennis Drayna & Thomas B. Friedman

  2. Otolaryngology Branch, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, 9000 Rockville Pike, 10/5C306, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA

    Carmen C. Brewer, Christopher K. Zalewski & Kelly A. King

  3. Hearing and Speech Sciences Department, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    Kelly A. King

  4. Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Prevention Institute, Augusta, USA

    Dongliang Ge & Harold Snieder

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Morell, R.J., Brewer, C.C., Ge, D. et al. A twin study of auditory processing indicates that dichotic listening ability is a strongly heritable trait. Hum Genet 122, 103–111 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00439-007-0384-5

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