Dynamic Causal Tractography Atlas

Kanno et al. ¹⁾ built an atlas from epilepsy patients undergoing invasive monitoring — a biased population with pathological connectivity. The claim to model “normal” speech dynamics at a whole-brain scale is unjustified.

Pathological brains cannot define normal cognition.

—- The paper overemphasizes “millisecond-scale” insights. But high-gamma temporal correlation does not imply causality. There is no causal manipulation to verify necessity.

High frequency ≠ high certainty.

—- “Fasciculus engagement” is assumed, not demonstrated. There is no diffusion-based confirmation, histological correlation, or anatomical dissection. Terms like “fasciculus” are used loosely and inconsistently.

Buzzwords ≠ biological accuracy.

—- Correlations up to rho = 0.82 and p-values < 10^-14 sound impressive, but remain purely observational. Without experimental control, the conclusions are speculative at best.

Big data + small p ≠ causality.

—- No decision algorithm. No case outcomes. No proof of surgical utility. Despite flashy visuals, there’s no pathway from data to improved neurosurgical care.

Surgeons need tools, not tractography-themed TED Talks.

—- Despite a large cohort, individual differences are not analyzed. Lumping patients into average maps erases the very complexity that functional neurosurgery must preserve.

This is neuroglamour, not neuroscience. Technically brilliant, but conceptually superficial and clinically irrelevant in its current form.

An atlas of elegant noise.

—- Tags: epilepsy, speech mapping, tractography, critical review, cognitive bias