Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42010145›Full record

ArticleNeurosurgical review2026

Unlocking the mind: brain mapping for the exploratory quest of functional and cognitive networks in awake neurosurgery.

Roberto Altieri, Ciro De Luca, Giovanni Maria De Martino, Assunta Virtuoso, Sergio Corvino, Giuseppe Pontillo, Oreste de Divitiis, Giuseppe La Rocca, Matteo Monticelli, Pietro Zeppa and 9 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Neurosurgical review, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

19 authors.

Roberto Altieri *Multidisciplinary Department of Medical-Surgical and Dental Specialties, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, 80131, Italy.
Ciro De Luca *Laboratory of Neuronal Networks Morphology and Systems Biology, Department of Mental, Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, 80138, Italy. ciro.deluca@unicampania.it.
Giovanni Maria De MartinoLaboratory of Neuronal Networks Morphology and Systems Biology, Department of Mental, Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, 80138, Italy.
Assunta VirtuosoLaboratory of Neuronal Networks Morphology and Systems Biology, Department of Mental, Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, 80138, Italy. assunta.virtuoso@unicampania.it.
Sergio CorvinoDepartment of Neuroscience and Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, Neurosurgical Clinic, School of Medicine, University of Naples "Federico II", Via Pansini, 5, Naples, 80131, Italy.
Giuseppe PontilloDepartment of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy.
Oreste de DivitiisDepartment of Neuroscience and Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, Neurosurgical Clinic, School of Medicine, University of Naples "Federico II", Via Pansini, 5, Naples, 80131, Italy.
Giuseppe La RoccaInstitute of Neurosurgery, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Catholic University, Rome, 00168, Italy.
Matteo MonticelliDipartimento testa-collo, UOC Neurochirurgia, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma, Parma, Italy.
Pietro ZeppaPediatric Neurosurgery Unit, Ospedale Infantile Regina Margherita, Azienda Ospedaliera Città della Salute e della Scienza Hospital, Turin, Italy.
Fabio CofanoNeurosurgery Unit, Department of Neuroscience "Rita Levi Montalcini", University of Turin, Via Cherasco, 15, Turin, 10126, Italy.
Antonio MelcarneNeurosurgery Unit, Department of Neuroscience "Rita Levi Montalcini", University of Turin, Via Cherasco, 15, Turin, 10126, Italy.
Carola Vera JunemannNeurosurgery Unit, Department of Neuroscience "Rita Levi Montalcini", University of Turin, Via Cherasco, 15, Turin, 10126, Italy.
Francesco ZengaNeurosurgery Unit, Department of Neuroscience "Rita Levi Montalcini", University of Turin, Via Cherasco, 15, Turin, 10126, Italy.
Daniela PacellaDepartment of Public Health, University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
Michele PapaLaboratory of Neuronal Networks Morphology and Systems Biology, Department of Mental, Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, 80138, Italy.
Diego GarbossaNeurosurgery Unit, Department of Neuroscience "Rita Levi Montalcini", University of Turin, Via Cherasco, 15, Turin, 10126, Italy.
Giovanni CirilloLaboratory of Neuronal Networks Morphology and Systems Biology, Department of Mental, Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, 80138, Italy.
Manlio BarbarisiMultidisciplinary Department of Medical-Surgical and Dental Specialties, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, 80131, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This retrospective study investigated the efficacy of intraoperative brain stimulation in 18 awake patients undergoing resection of intracranial lesions. The goal was to maximize resection while preserving cognitive function. We analyzed 91 stimulation sites using direct electrical stimulation (DES) during motor, language, and mentalizing tasks, with spatial response patterns identified via DBSCAN clustering. While all patients recovered their cognitive abilities, motor arrest was the most frequent response, highlighting the necessity of mapping motor pathways for preserving overall quality of life. Language responses confirmed classic functional hubs and the unpredictability of individual localization. Mentalizing, assessed via the “Reading the Mind in the Eyes” (RME) test, was minimally affected (1/91 sites). Clustered brain maps further support the necessity of DES to refine clinical nodes definitions, emphasizing the interplay of neural networks and subcortical connectivity in neuroplasticity. These exploratory findings suggest that comprehensive motor and language mapping during awake neurosurgery may support the stability of higher cognitive networks, though further research with larger cohorts and longitudinal neuropsychological tests is required to confirm these indirect preservation effects.

Indexed as

BrainBrain MappingBrain NeoplasmsCognitionNeurosurgical ProceduresWakefulnessAdultAgedElectric StimulationFemaleHumansLanguageMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesAwake neurosurgeryBrain lesionsBrain mappingCluster analysisCognitionMentalizingNeuroanatomyNeuronal networksSystems biology

Identifiers

PMID42010145
PMCPMC13095920

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.