The Genetic contribution to solving the cocktail-party problem

Samuel R. Mathias; Emma E.M. Knowles; Josephine Mollon; Amanda L. Rodrigue; Mary K. Woolsey; Alyssa M. Hernandez; Amy S. Garrett; Peter T. Fox; Rene L. Olvera; Juan M. Peralta; Satish Kumar; Harald H.H. Göring; Ravi Duggirala; Joanne E. Curran; John Blangero; David C. Glahn

iScience (Sep 2022)

The Genetic contribution to solving the cocktail-party problem

Samuel R. Mathias,
Emma E.M. Knowles,
Josephine Mollon,
Amanda L. Rodrigue,
Mary K. Woolsey,
Alyssa M. Hernandez,
Amy S. Garrett,
Peter T. Fox,
Rene L. Olvera,
Juan M. Peralta,
Satish Kumar,
Harald H.H. Göring,
Ravi Duggirala,
Joanne E. Curran,
John Blangero,
David C. Glahn

Affiliations

Samuel R. Mathias: Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Corresponding author
Emma E.M. Knowles: Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Josephine Mollon: Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Amanda L. Rodrigue: Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Mary K. Woolsey: Research Imaging Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
Alyssa M. Hernandez: Research Imaging Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
Amy S. Garrett: Research Imaging Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
Peter T. Fox: Research Imaging Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA; South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
Rene L. Olvera: South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute and Department of Human Genetics, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, Brownsville, TX 78520, USA
Juan M. Peralta: South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute and Department of Human Genetics, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, Brownsville, TX 78520, USA
Satish Kumar: South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute and Department of Human Genetics, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, Brownsville, TX 78520, USA
Harald H.H. Göring: South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute and Department of Human Genetics, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, Brownsville, TX 78520, USA
Ravi Duggirala: South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute and Department of Human Genetics, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, Brownsville, TX 78520, USA
Joanne E. Curran: South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute and Department of Human Genetics, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, Brownsville, TX 78520, USA
John Blangero: South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute and Department of Human Genetics, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, Brownsville, TX 78520, USA
David C. Glahn: Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 25, no. 9
p. 104997

Abstract

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Summary: Communicating in everyday situations requires solving the cocktail-party problem, or segregating the acoustic mixture into its constituent sounds and attending to those of most interest. Humans show dramatic variation in this ability, leading some to experience real-world problems irrespective of whether they meet criteria for clinical hearing loss. Here, we estimated the genetic contribution to cocktail-party listening by measuring speech-reception thresholds (SRTs) in 425 people from large families and ranging in age from 18 to 91 years. Roughly half the variance of SRTs was explained by genes (h2 = 0.567). The genetic correlation between SRTs and hearing thresholds (HTs) was medium (ρG = 0.392), suggesting that the genetic factors influencing cocktail-party listening were partially distinct from those influencing sound sensitivity. Aging and socioeconomic status also strongly influenced SRTs. These findings may represent a first step toward identifying genes for “hidden hearing loss,” or hearing problems in people with normal HTs.

Published in iScience

ISSN: 2589-0042 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Science
Website: http://www.cell.com/iscience/home

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