Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39487116›Full record

ArticleNature communications2024

Decomposing causality into its synergistic, unique, and redundant components.

Álvaro Martínez-Sánchez, Gonzalo Arranz, Adrián Lozano-Durán

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Explainable AI: learning from the learners.Nature communications · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Álvaro Martínez-SánchezDepartment of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA. alvaroms@mit.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7169-2487
Gonzalo ArranzDepartment of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6579-3791
Adrián Lozano-DuránDepartment of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9306-0261

Funding

"la Caixa" Foundation (Caixa Foundation) 100010434National Science Foundation (NSF) 2140775
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Causality lies at the heart of scientific inquiry, serving as the fundamental basis for understanding interactions among variables in physical systems. Despite its central role, current methods for causal inference face significant challenges due to nonlinear dependencies, stochastic interactions, self-causation, collider effects, and influences from exogenous factors, among others. While existing methods can effectively address some of these challenges, no single approach has successfully integrated all these aspects. Here, we address these challenges with SURD: Synergistic-Unique-Redundant Decomposition of causality. SURD quantifies causality as the increments of redundant, unique, and synergistic information gained about future events from past observations. The formulation is non-intrusive and applicable to both computational and experimental investigations, even when samples are scarce. We benchmark SURD in scenarios that pose significant challenges for causal inference and demonstrate that it offers a more reliable quantification of causality compared to previous methods.

Identifiers

PMID39487116
PMCPMC11530654

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.