Dancing, which is integrally related to music, likely has its origins close to the birth of Homo sapiens, and throughout our history,
Dancing has been universally practiced in all societies. We hypothesized that there are
differences among individuals in aptitude, propensity, and need for dancing that may partially be based on differences in common genetic polymorphisms. Identifying such differences may lead to an understanding of the neurobiological basis of one of mankind''s most universal and appealing behavioral traitsdancing. In the current study, 85 current performing
dancers and their parents were genotyped for the serotonin transporter (SLC6A4: promoter region HTTLPR and intron 2 VNTR) and the arginine vasopressin receptor 1a (AVPR1a: promoter microsatellites
rs1 and RS3). We also genotyped 91 competitive athletes and a group of nondancers/nonathletes (n 872 subjects from 414 families). Dancers scored higher on the Tellegen Absorption Scale, a
questionnaire that correlates positively with spirituality and altered states of consciousness, as well as the Reward Dependence factor in Cloninger''s Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire, a measure of need for
social contact and openness to communication. Highly
significant differences in AVPR1a haplotype frequencies (RS1 and RS3), especially when conditional on both SLC6A4 polymorphisms (HTTLPR and VNTR), were observed between dancers and athletes using the UNPHASED program package (Cocaphase: likelihood ratio test LRS 89.23, p 0.000044). Similar results were obtained when dancers were compared to nondancers/nonathletes (Cocaphase: LRS 92.76, p 0.000024). These results were confirmed using a robust family-based test (Tdtphase: LRS 46.64, p 0.010). Association was also observed between Tellegen Absorption Scale scores and AVPR1a (Qtdtphase: global chi-square 26.53, p 0.047), SLC6A4 haplotypes (Qtdtphase: chi-square 2.363, p 0.018), and AVPR1a conditional on SCL6A4 (Tdtphase: LRS 250.44, p 0.011). Similarly, significant association was observed between Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire Reward Dependence scores and AVPR1a RS1 (chi-square 20.16, p 0.01). Two-locus analysis (RS1 and RS3 conditional on HTTLPR and VNTR) was highly significant (LRS 162.95, p 0.001). Promoter repeat regions in the AVPR1a gene have been robustly demonstrated to play a role in molding a range of social behaviors in many vertebrates and, more recently, in humans. Additionally, serotonergic neurotransmission in some human studies appears to mediate human religious and spiritual experiences. We therefore hypothesize that the association between AVPR1a and SLC6A4 reflects the social communication, courtship, and spiritual facets of the dancing phenotype rather than other aspects of this complex phenotype, such as sensorimotor integration.
More abstracts about the AVPR1a and SLC6A4 Gene Polymorphisms Are Associated with Creative Dance Performance