Musical Genes That Humans Share with Birds

Mastering an instrument is more than just "practice makes perfect." The devotion that goes along with musical performance also includes skills in timing, coordination, emotional interpretation, and information integration. A new study is now examining the connection between a biological predisposition for success at musical mastery.

Analysis from 10 blood samples from musicians along with looking at genetic information while the same musicians listened to classical songs helped scientists realize that songbird share more than a third of the same gene expression that musicians experience. Neural growth and flexibility, motor control, and the brain's pleasure center were all areas scientists saw increased gene expression while musicians listened to classical compositions.