AVPR1a and SLC6A4 gene polymorphisms are associated with creative dance performance.
PLoS Genetics June 14, 2016 Rachel Bachner-Melman, Christian Dina, Ada H Zohar et al.
Dancing is a universal human behavior with likely ancient origins. This study investigated genetic associations with dancing aptitude, propensity, and need. Genotyping of 85 performing dancers, their parents, 91 competitive athletes, and 872 nondancers/nonathletes from 414 families revealed highly significant differences in AVPR1a haplotype frequencies between dancers and athletes, and between dancers and nondancers/nonathletes, especially when considering SLC6A4 polymorphisms. Dancers scored higher on the Tellegen Absorption Scale and the Reward Dependence factor of the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire. The authors propose that the association between AVPR1a and SLC6A4 reflects the social communication, courtship, and spiritual facets of dancing rather than sensorimotor integration.