🧠 Decorative Neuroanatomy

Definition: Decorative neuroanatomy refers to anatomical research or publications that, while visually detailed or technically descriptive, lack real clinical, surgical, or diagnostic relevance. These works often present basic morphological findings as if they had significant implications, when in fact they serve primarily as academic ornamentation.

• Focus on rare variants without correlating to clinical cases.
• No impact on surgical planning or patient outcomes.
• Inflated conclusions based on minimal or trivial data.
• Often published in low-bar journals to boost publication count.

“Another paper measuring sulcal lengths in cadavers with no clinical application — classic decorative neuroanatomy.”

• rhetorical_inflation

In an era of overwhelming academic output, identifying decorative neuroanatomy helps clinicians and researchers filter noise and focus on functional, translational, and patient-centered science.