Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40299090›Full record

ArticleBrain structure & function2025

The scientific value of tractography: accuracy vs usefulness.

Francois Rheault, Helen Mayberg, Michel Thiebaut de Schotten, Alard Roebroeck, Stephanie J Forkel

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Brain structure & function, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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

5 authors.

Francois RheaultSherbrooke Connectivity Imaging Lab (SCIL), Computer Science Department, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada. francois.m.rheault@usherbrooke.ca.
Helen MaybergNash Family Center for Advanced Circuit Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Mount Sinai, NY, USA.
Michel Thiebaut de SchottenGroupe d'Imagerie Neurofonctionnelle, Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives-UMR 5293, CNRS, CEA University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France.
Alard RoebroeckDepartment of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology & Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Stephanie J ForkelBrain Connectivity and Behaviour Laboratory, Paris, France.

Funding

Electrophysiological Biomarkers to Optimize DBS for DepressionUH3NS103550 · NINDS · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · PI MAYBERG, HELEN S, RIVA-POSSE, PATRICIO · 2017 to 2023
$7.7M
Donders Mohrmann Fellowship 2401515Dutch Research Council N/AEuropean Union Horizon 818521HORIZON-INFRA-2022 SERV 101147319NIH HHS UH3NS103550
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Tractography has emerged as a central tool for mapping the cerebral white matter architecture. However, its scientific value continues to be a subject of debate, given its inherent limitations in anatomical accuracy. This concise communication showcases key points of a debate held at the 2024 Tract-Anat Retreat, addressing the trade-offs between the accuracy and utility of tractography. While tractography remains constrained by limitations related to resolution, sensitivity, and validation, its usefulness and utility in areas such as surgical planning, disorder prediction, and the elucidation of brain development are emphasized. These perspectives highlight the necessity of context-specific interpretation, anatomically informed algorithms, and the continuous refinement of tractography workflows to achieve an optimal balance between accuracy and utility.

Indexed as

BrainBrain MappingDiffusion Tensor ImagingWhite MatterHumansImage Processing, Computer-Assisted

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

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.