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 Novel neurotechnologies : intervening in the brain

1. In this report we consider the ethical, legal and social issues that arise from the use of novel neurotechnologies. We address these issues primarily in the context of the therapeutic applications of these technologies, because it is here that there is the greatest potential for social benefit and where research and practical uses are most advanced.

2. Illness or injury that results in damage to the brain and its functions can lead to serious disorders that affect memory, cognition, movement, or consciousness or cause conditions such as chronic pain. The brain has a limited capacity to repair damaged tissue, although new functional connections may be formed. The novel neurotechnologies discussed in this report all have the
potential ? which is in some cases yet to be fully demonstrated ? to address some of the distressing and disabling effects of brain damage by intervening in the functions of the brain itself.

3. The ethical dimensions of the development and uses of these technologies, however, extend beyond the contexts of clinical research and patient care. We also consider the economic pressures and regulatory controls that shape and challenge the development pathways and commercial availability of novel neurotechnologies, and the social impacts of their representation
by researchers and the non-specialist media. We also give consideration to the potential nontherapeutic applications of these technologies.

 

 

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