Negative Controls for Brain-Tumor Microdomain Claims

Abstract

The boundary between useful assistance and an unsupported claim becomes visible when co-location mistaken for a functional interaction. The article develops a research agenda through critical comparison of published evidence. The focal evidence concerns why autoimmune activity can persist or recur when conventional inflammation suppression does not durably change underlying cellular and tissue states. A mechanism gains support when a test could reasonably have contradicted it and did not. Co-occurrence and attractive diagrams are weaker when many alternatives predict the same observations. Prespecify distinguishing outcomes and appropriate negative controls. Interpret unexpected results rather than redefining the mechanism after every observation. The proposed comparison concerns spatial associations, glial cells, sampling conditions; it would test whether the specific failure scenario is detected without erasing legitimate uncertainty. An integrated account should preserve the distinction between tissue contexts, clinical endpoints, and mechanistic claims and any stronger downstream decision.