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Más allá del realismo y el constructivismo: el Alzheimer como resfactum en una ontología relacional de las entidades biomédicas
Luciano Aroca Molina. Discusiones Filosóficas, 2025-07-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Este artículo cuestiona la dicotomía entre realismo y constructivismo en la filosofía de la ciencia, argumentando que resulta insuficiente para comprender entidades biomédicas como el Alzheimer. A partir de esta limitación, se propone un nuevo concepto denominado resfactum para dar cuenta del modo de existencia del Alzheimer. Con él, se busca trascender la oposición entre lo “descubierto” y lo “construido”, para entender el Alzheimer como una entidad que articula simultáneamente mecanismos causales independientes, materialidad encarnada en cuerpos humanos e inteligibilidad mediada social e históricamente. Para ilustrar esta propuesta, se analiza el caso de la mutación PSEN1-E280A (Gen Paisa), responsable de una forma de Alzheimer hereditario de inicio precoz. Este análisis muestra que, aunque los procesos moleculares en esta condición operan al margen de la categorización humana, el Alzheimer existe en cerebros humanos y se configura socialmente mediante marcos diagnósticos, tecnologías de análisis y narrativas históricas e identitarias. Así, el artículo concluye argumentando que el resfactum ofrece un marco ontológico útil para el análisis de entidades biomédicas desde sus múltiples dimensiones.
Key findings
- A partir de esta limitación, se propone un nuevo concepto denominado resfactum para dar cuenta del modo de existencia del Alzheimer.
- Con él, se busca trascender la oposición entre lo “descubierto” y lo “construido”, para entender el Alzheimer como una entidad que articula simultáneamente mecanismos causales independientes, materialidad encarnada en cuerpos humanos e inteligibilidad mediada social e históricamente.
- Para ilustrar esta propuesta, se analiza el caso de la mutación PSEN1-E280A (Gen Paisa), responsable de una forma de Alzheimer hereditario de inicio precoz.
- Este análisis muestra que, aunque los procesos moleculares en esta condición operan al margen de la categorización humana, el Alzheimer existe en cerebros humanos y se configura socialmente mediante marcos diagnósticos, tecnologías de análisis y narrativas históricas e identitarias.
- Así, el artículo concluye argumentando que el resfactum ofrece un marco ontológico útil para el análisis de entidades biomédicas desde sus múltiples dimensiones.
Why it matters
This is a philosophical article proposing the concept of 'resfactum' to describe Alzheimer's disease as both a biological and socially shaped entity, using the PSEN1-E280A mutation as an example. It does not report any treatment, cure or prevention findings.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 26/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 25 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 26 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Discusiones Filosóficas) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Discusiones Filosóficas: journal h-index 6 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 0 / 7 | Cited 0 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 0 / 6 | Cited 0.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author Luciano Aroca Molina holds only 3 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Universidad Católica de Temuco: institution h-index 94 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 25 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 25 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 26 out of 100. |
| Total | 26 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Molina, L. A. (2025). Más allá del realismo y el constructivismo: el Alzheimer como resfactum en una ontología relacional de las entidades biomédicas. Discusiones Filosóficas. https://doi.org/10.17151/difil.2025.26.47.7
Vancouver
Molina LA. Más allá del realismo y el constructivismo: el Alzheimer como resfactum en una ontología relacional de las entidades biomédicas. Discusiones Filosóficas. 2025. doi:10.17151/difil.2025.26.47.7.
BibTeX
@article{molina2025-28a35925,
author = {Molina, Luciano Aroca},
title = {{Más allá del realismo y el constructivismo: el Alzheimer como resfactum en una ontología relacional de las entidades biomédicas}},
journal = {Discusiones Filosóficas},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.17151/difil.2025.26.47.7},
url = {https://doi.org/10.17151/difil.2025.26.47.7}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
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