Disease risk and drug response are examples of complex traits.
The goal is to detemine the genetic roots of complex physical traits, diseases, and even behaviors.
But some argue that complex traits like language or music are embedded in microcircuits all over the brain.
But extraordinary talent for music, language or other complex human traits might be related to details of the microcircuitry all over the brain, he said.
The same methods are widely used today for investigating and sometime determining genetic basic of complex traits.
She stated, "No single method is going to get us where we need to be with these complex traits.
These complex traits are products of many genes.
The degree to which an organism's genes contribute to a complex trait is called heritability.
But so far not a single one of these claims linking genes to complex traits has been corroborated by follow-up studies.
But, he said, he is troubled by the idea of adding genes for certain complex traits.