Misophonia Genetics and Related Hearing Conditions

Nearly 40% of individuals with misophonia have a first-degree biological relative who also experiences the condition, according to new family study data. The research, led by Salomé Castelló Alfaro, Diana Bok, and Doris Chen, also reveals strong familial links between misophonia and several co-occurring neuropsychiatric conditions, with mothers showing significantly higher rates than fathers.

How the Study Was Conducted

The researchers examined survey responses from 101 probands—the individuals initially identified with misophonia—and their biological parents. This trio design is a standard approach for initial family and genetic studies. The probands had an average age of 24.6 years, with a range from 8 to 64 years, and 88% were female. Probands and their parents provided detailed reports on their own misophonia symptoms and diagnoses of other neuropsychiatric conditions. The cross-sectional analysis compared rates of these conditions within families and between mothers and fathers. The full study is available via its DOI link.

Familial Clustering of Misophonia and Co-Occurring Conditions

The data confirm that misophonia frequently runs in families. Beyond the 39% with an affected first-degree relative, 48% of probands had at least one relative of any degree (such as a cousin or grandparent) with misophonia. The familial patterns extended to commonly co-occurring conditions. Sixty-five percent of probands had a first-degree relative with anxiety, 57% with depression, 40% with ADHD, and 20% with OCD. This clustering suggests shared underlying vulnerabilities, whether genetic or environmental, that may predispose family members to misophonia and these related conditions. The high rate of co-occurrence in individuals, such as 70% of probands having anxiety, aligns with other research on hyperacusis and brain changes, which also show strong links with anxiety disorders.

A Striking Maternal Link Emerges

One of the most distinct findings was the difference in rates reported by mothers versus fathers. Mothers of probands had a 29% rate of misophonia, compared to just 9% in fathers. They also reported significantly higher rates of anxiety (44% vs. 26%). This pronounced maternal link could point to X-chromosome genetic factors, given that mothers contribute an X chromosome to both sons and daughters. Alternatively, it may reflect differences in reporting styles, the influence of environmental factors, or a combination. The result underscores the importance of including both parents in family studies to avoid missing key patterns. It also adds a new dimension to our understanding of genetic links in misophonia.

Implications for Patients and Future Research

For individuals with misophonia and their families, these findings validate a common lived experience—that the condition and its associated challenges often affect multiple family members. Recognizing this pattern can reduce feelings of isolation and help clinicians take a more effective family history, which can inform diagnosis and management strategies. The strong link to conditions like anxiety and ADHD suggests that treatment approaches should be comprehensive and consider the full neuropsychiatric profile.

For scientists, the study provides a clear roadmap. The evidence for familial aggregation supports the pursuit of formal genetic studies to identify specific risk variants. The maternal effect offers a specific hypothesis to test. Furthermore, the overlap with other conditions raises a central question: is misophonia a distinct disorder with shared genetic risk factors, or is it a manifestation of a broader sensory-processing phenotype common in conditions like anxiety and autism? Answering this will require studies that integrate genetic data with neurobiological measures, similar to approaches used in fMRI research on hearing disorders.

The work by Castelló Alfaro and colleagues moves the field from anecdotal reports to quantitative evidence of family patterns. It firmly establishes that misophonia clusters in families alongside anxiety, depression, and ADHD, with a notable maternal influence, providing a solid foundation for the next phase of biological investigation.