ethics of neuroscience

• Intro

  - advances in technology combined with knowledge about how the brain/nervous system works = neuroscience

  - examines the relationship between the brain and higher functions e.g. decision making, causes/symptoms/treatments of common brain disorders

  - considerable debate whether the knowledge produced by neuroscience is being used ethically/being used for benefit of society

  - question of ethics is viewed as costs vs benefits
• Para 1 - understanding consciousness

  P - understanding consciousness

  E - Crick and Koch propose the claustrum is the seat of the consciousness - experiences of 54 year old epileptic woman support this: electrode stimulated near her brain, when this happened she stared blankly, stopped reading and didnt respond to any visual commands, simulation stopped and she regained consciousness with no recollection of the events

  F - can help to make decisions about patients in a persistent vegetative state

  A -evidence is derived from a single case study of one abnormal brain so is it applicable to other brains? Do we have the moral right to withdraw care just because a person has lot consciousness?
• Para 2 - treating criminal behaviour

  P - treating criminal behaviour

  E - Cherek et al investigated levels of impulsivity and aggression in males with history of criminal behaviour. Half given placebo, other half given an antidepressant

  F - those who recieved antidepressant showed significant decrease in impulsivity and aggression + less crime makes society safer for all

  A - Farah argues that if courts use neurological intervention, it denies individual freedom which is something not even prisoners have been denied previously + prisoners may be offered prison term or course of medication = ethical issue of implicit coercion as left with little choice

  E(see) - total cost of depression in adults in england was £9 billion in 2000 = neuroscience could save economy billions
• Para 3 - enhanced neurological function

  P - enhanced neurological function

  E - Kadosh et al found transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) leads to improved problem-solving and language. memory, attention capabilities

  F - could be used to improve the abilites of students to improve performance on complex academic tasks + in preparation for exams

  A - no training/licensing rules for practitioners using TDCS so the treatments may be ineffective or patients could receive brain damage. Also unsure of the impact of TDCS on brains that are still developing e.g. children
• Para 4 - improve marketing techniques

  P - improve marketing techniques (neuro-marketing)

  E - eye tracking equipment can provide object evidence of what catches someones eye when they go shopping or when they watch an advert

  F - means that social desirability bias is avoided and a true opinion is given = leads to creation of successful ads e.g. Volkswagen - traffic to their website increased by half

  A - could lead to our free will being manipulated by big brands as corporation are able to produce marketing messages that takes away our ability to make informed decisions

  E(see) - improving marketing techniques can aid the economy by stimulating sales and profits
• Conclusion

  - neuroscience has offered us insight into how our brain works and has led to the development of many explanations of both normal and abnormal behaviour

  - knowledge in this field has grown exponentially

  - however, this knowledge becomes accessible to all and peoples intentions can vary - safe? - neuroscientists arent soley responsible for how the info is used

  - governments need to ensure its used ethically and appropriately