[The Legacy of Wilder Penfield: Cortical Mapping, Epilepsy Surgery, and the Montreal Procedure].
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Historical article and narrative review with no new human empirical data
PubMed 41355095 · doi:10.11477/mf.188160960770121339
What was done
This historical review describes the clinical and scientific legacy of Wilder Penfield (1891–1976), covering his development of cortical electrical stimulation under local anesthesia, the creation of the functional homunculus, the Montreal Procedure for epilepsy surgery, and the 1934 establishment of the Montreal Neurological Institute.
What was found
The abstract provides a descriptive overview with no numerical data. It highlights Penfield's methods for mapping speech and motor areas during awake craniotomies to guide safe resection of epileptic foci, his observations that cortical stimulation could evoke conscious memories, and his creation of an integrated clinical-research neuroscience institute.
Why it matters
The paper reviews the foundational historical origins of awake functional brain mapping, epilepsy surgery techniques, and modern translational neuroscience institutes.
Limits
This is a narrative historical account rather than an empirical trial or systematic review; it contains no quantitative data, control groups, or novel clinical outcomes.