Modern Brain Mapping – What Do We Map Nowadays?

The problem of function localization in the brain is one of the most fundamental in neuroscience. There are two opposite paradigms relating to the problem: “modularism,” also known as “localism,” versus “holism,” which have been discussed for a long time (1, 2). The debate in favor of one or another view can still be traced at all methodological levels – from the cell to the system. In this opinion paper we want to raise a question – what is meant nowadays by brain mapping? In addition, we want to highlight the necessity of being aware of occasionally occurring discontinuity in the research at different methodological scales. This problem is evident for experts in the field, but not always sufficiently so for early career researches. We will try to describe the difficulties of modern brain mapping primarily by looking at one of the currently best-studied functions –motor function.