Notes from Beethoven's genome

Abstract

Rapid advances over the last decade in DNA sequencing and statistical genetics enable us to investigate the genomic makeup of individuals throughout history. In a recent notable study, Begg et al.¹ used Ludwig van Beethoven's hair strands for genome sequencing and explored genetic predispositions for some of his documented medical issues. Given that it was arguably Beethoven's skills as a musician and composer that made him an iconic figure in Western culture, we here extend the approach and apply it to musicality. We use this as an example to illustrate the broader challenges of individual-level genetic predictions.

Figure 1.. Beethoven’s beat synchronization PGI ranks between the 9^th and 11^th percentile of modern samples’ beat synchronization PGI.

The black dashed line and red dot represent Beethoven’s PGI with respect to (A) STAGE and (B) BioVU cohorts. Raincloud plots depicting the relationship between the beat synchronization residualized (res.) PGI and musical achievement (C) and musical engagement in BioVU (D). We first regressed the first 10 PCs from the PGIs and used the residuals for illustrative and analytical purposes. Dots represent STAGE individual scores, with Beethoven’s PGI in red; the oblique line represents the line of best fit, which was calculated excluding Beethoven’s PGI. Details in Supplemental information. STAGE: Screening Twin Adults: Genes and Environment Swedish Twin Registry; BioVU: Vanderbilt Biorepository; PC: Principal Component; Res.: Residualized. Ludwig van Beethoven image in panel A was adapted from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beethoven.jpg, by J. K. Stieler, Portrait Beethovens mit der Partitur zur Missa Solemnis, 1820. Public Domain.