genome

The complete genetic information (either DNA or, in some viruses, RNA) of an organism.

Creating a complete map of the human connectome would therefore be a monumental milestone but not the end of the journey to understanding how our brains work. The achievement will transform neuroscience and serve as the starting point for asking questions we could not otherwise have answered, just as having the human genome has made it possible to ask new questions about cellular and molecular systems.

Because of her significant testing, Avery had had DNA sequencing of her “exome,” the part of her genome that makes proteins in the body, said Dr. Michael Wangler, a researcher at the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital.