Speaking is inherent to the human race, and the female and male voices have specific qualities that affect their timbre, pitch, intensity, or modulation, yet most of the genetic bases of voice and speech are still unknown. Now, a new study has identified the first genetic variants that influence the pitch of your voice, suggesting that if you have a high-pitched voice, the cause could be in your genes.
The research is the first of its kind and has been carried out by an international team led by deCODE genetics, a company specialized in the analysis and understanding of the human genome based in Reykjavik (Iceland). These scientists combined voice recordings of 12,901 Icelanders aged 18 to 93 with data on genome sequence diversity to search for common variants in ABCC9 that were associated with a higher pitched voice.
Specifically, researchers have discovered variants in the ABCC9 gene sequence that influence the pitch of our voices. The findings have been published in the journal Science Advances and help to better understand diversity in voice and speech and the human vocal system.
Links between tone of voice and health
The scientists found that the ABCC9 variants are associated with a higher pitched voice in both men and women. The same sequence variants are also associated with higher pulse pressure (the difference between systolic and diastolic pressure values), which is a cardiovascular risk factor, highlighting the links between tone of voice and health related aspects.
“We discovered common correlated variants in ABCC9 that are associated with tone of voice and that are also associated with adrenal gene expression and cardiovascular traits.”
“We show how pitch of voice and vowel acoustics vary throughout life and correlate with anthropometric, physiological, and cognitive traits. We found that pitch of voice and vowel acoustics have a heritable component and discovered common correlated variants in ABCC9 that are associated with pitch of voice. ABCC9 variants are also associated with adrenal gene expression and cardiovascular traits. By showing that voice and vowel acoustics are influenced by genetics, we have taken important steps toward understanding the genetics and evolution of the human vocal system.”
The researchers have not been able to specify how the genes cause a higher voice, but they have some hypotheses and have explained, for example, that the gene “contains instructions to make an ion channel that contributes to the proper functioning of the collagen and elastin proteins. These proteins help the body’s tissues to stretch, which is essential for the vocal cords to vibrate.”
Regarding the fact that these same variants in the gene are related to a higher probability of cardiovascular risk, they explain that this is due to the fact that “collagen and elastin help the heart muscles to move correctly. An excess of collagen and a defective elastin can cause rigidity and malfunction of the heart tissue.
