MyBrainTech MyBrainTech MyBrainTech
  • How myBrain works
  • Who we are
  • Want to learn more
  • Contact Us
  • How myBrain works
  • Who we are
  • Want to learn more
  • Contact Us

A milestone for NeuroEthics.

30 novembre 2022 | 4 mins read

  • Articles

By Vivian Panah-Izadi.

Neurotechnologies are no longer confined to research laboratories. They are fully integrated in our societies, whether in the medical field or beyond. The capacity of these technologies to probe and interfere with the brain activity of an individual questions the notions of identity, integrity and autonomy of human beings.

Recent initiatives aim to help governments and innovators anticipate and address ethical, legal, and social challenges, while promoting innovation in this field (OECD, 2019)[1]. Already in 2013, the United States launched the Brain Initiative[2] while the European Union started the Human Brain Project[3]; two projects aimed at supporting researchers in understanding the brain. More recently, Chile is the first country to have introduced « neuro-rights », targeting brain data to protect the mental integrity of individuals in the face of the development of brain-machine interfaces (2021)[4]. In France, in November 2022, the main players in the field signed the first Charter for the responsible development of neurotechnologies[5].

Identity.

Neurotechnologies hold great therapeutic promise in the field of mental health and beyond, enabling the fight against neurological and psychiatric diseases. However, it remains essential to protect the notion of identity, defined by the will of an individual to build his or her own life and exercise his or her freedom.

In order to protect patients, but also consumers, from potentially abusive and malicious uses of neurotechnologies, it is essential to invoke the notion of identity intrinsic to human beings. With respect to advances in neuroscience and neurotechnology, the principle of human dignity must be respected.

One of the potential applications of neurotechnology that poses an ethical problem concerns memory modification techniques that could one day rely on the implantation of a chip in the brain. It would then be possible to improve memory (i.e. memory enhancement), just as we improve, for example, cognitive abilities. Individuals could also choose to modify the content of their memory (i.e. memory manipulation).

In the latter case, these techniques can completely erase the memory, induce amnesia or reduce the emotional strength of a painful memory and reduce the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder. Memory erasure allows for the reconstruction of memories of past events and, therefore, personal identity. It becomes problematic when the choice of memory content is imposed by a third party or if the person concerned is not aware of the full impact of his/her decision.

Mental integrity.

The Charter for the responsible development of neurotechnologies also aims at preserving the physical and psychological integrity of individuals by creating a special legal status. The goal is to make it impossible to increase, decrease or disrupt this individual integrity without the appropriate consent.

« Reading the brain » can have very complex personal consequences and social effects. Here, this particularly concerns data detected incidentally by means of brain imaging or encephalography and revealing psychological states of which the subject is unaware. These data can be obtained without the subject’s knowledge, and therefore without his or her consent, or even without the subject being aware that the information is being collected.

Mental integrity is a primary value in the face of the direct prejudice that neurotechnologies can cause if there is an unauthorized alteration of a person’s neural computing system. From this perspective, « prejudice » refers to the violation of integrity, and « benefit » to its preservation.

Human dignity being the fundamental value recognized in the doctrine of human rights and inscribed in the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights[6].

Autonomy.

Advances in computational neuroscience offer new opportunities to improve understanding of brain disorders, identify new biomarkers, design intelligent decision support systems, and develop many other applications. Thanks to intelligent neurotechnology systems and AI-based algorithms, computational neuroscience is one of the fastest growing areas of neuromedical research and innovation. However, these advances also raise important ethical, legal, philosophical, social and political questions.

The creation of « cognitive machines » involves the efficient integration of dynamic data acquisition and machine learning algorithms that enable rapid decision making which can interfere with an individual’s autonomy.

These machine learning programs learn to analyze data by generating algorithms that cannot be predicted and that are difficult, if not impossible, to explain. Thus, an unknown, and sometimes uncontrollable, process is formed between a person’s thoughts and the technology that acts in their place (Drew, 2019)[7].

The use of these AI tools reinforces the questions in the above-mentioned fields, of which the regulatory bodies have little experience. It is therefore essential to guarantee full transparency on the use of algorithms.

In conclusion.

The rise of neurotechnologies brings hope in the medical field and beyond. It is the duty of the authorities to protect patients and consumers against potentially abusive and malicious uses. Neuroscience stakeholders in the United States, France, and South America are laying the groundwork for international standards in this area.

Protecting identity, mental integrity and autonomy is essential as stated in the charter for the responsible development of neurotechnologies and brain-machine interfaces. It is also necessary to guarantee transparency on the use of algorithms as well as the reliability and safety of medical devices.

References.

[1] Recommendation of the Council on Responsible Innovation in Neurotechnology. (2019, December 11). OECD Legal Instruments. https://legalinstruments.oecd.org/en/instruments/OECD-LEGAL-0457

[2] The Brain Initiative: Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies. (2013, April 02). The White House President Barack Obama. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/BRAIN

[3] Welcome to the Human Brain Project. (2013, October 01). Human Brain Project. https://www.humanbrainproject.eu/en/

[4] Chile: Pioneering the protection of neurorights. (2022, January). The UNESCO Courier. https://en.unesco.org/courier/2022-1/chile-pioneering-protection-neurorights

[5] Présentation de la charte française de l’innovation responsable en neurotechnologies. (2022, November 14). Ministère de l’enseignement supérieur et de la recherche. https://www.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr/fr/presentation-de-la-charte-francaise-de-l-innovation-responsable-en-neurotechnologies-87967

[6] Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights. (2005, October 19). UNESCO. https://www.unesco.org/en/legal-affairs/universal-declaration-bioethics-and-human-rights

[7] Drew, L. (2019). The ethics of brain-computer interfaces. Nature, 571(7766), S19. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-02214-2

  • artificial intelligence
  • ethical
  • innovation
  • neuroethics
  • neurotech

Newsletter | October 2022.
Next
30 novembre 2022
Newsletter | November 2022.
The end of 2022 marks a major step forward in the neurotechnology sector in France: the presentation of a Charter for a responsible development of neurotechnologies by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. Directly concerned, myBrain Technologies wanted to participate ...
The end of 2022 marks a major step forward in the neurotechnology sector in France: the presentation of a Charter for a responsible development of neurotechnologies by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. Directly concerned, myBrain Technologies wanted to participate ...

Related articles

30 Nov 2022

The benefits of collecting EEG neuroimaging insights in clinical trials.

In clinical trials, brain monitoring EEG is facilitating the measurement of complex clinical endpoints. EEG as a biomarker provides safe, objective and repeatable data enabling a deeper understanding of the pharmacological effects of the drug early in its development.

30 Nov 2022

Newsletter | December 2022.

During this year of 2022, we have dedicated ourselves to make our solution more complete and ergonomic through many updates designed to optimize the way you realize your experiments. The end of the year is for us the opportunity to come back on the major improvements of our solution ...

30 Nov 2022

Newsletter | November 2022.

The end of 2022 marks a major step forward in the neurotechnology sector in France: the presentation of a Charter for a responsible development of neurotechnologies by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. Directly concerned, myBrain Technologies wanted to participate ...

30 Nov 2022

A milestone for NeuroEthics.

The capacity of neurotechnologies to probe and interfere with brain activity challenges notions of identity, integrity and autonomy of human being. Recent initiatives aim to help actors in the field anticipate and address ethical, legal and social challenges, while promoting innovation in this area.

MyBrainTech
Copyright © 2022
All rights reserved
Legals notices
Privacy Policy
Cookie policy

Company

  • How myBrain works
  • Who we are
  • Want to learn more
  • Contact Us

E-Mail

innovate@mybraintech.com

Visit

50 Avenue Claude Vellefaux
75010 Paris

Subscribe to our newsletter

We use cookies to optimise our website and our service. Cookie Policy
Accept AllDismissPreferences
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Toujours activé
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDuréeDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
CookieDuréeDescription
WEBMO-MNOsessionNo description
Enregistrer & appliquer
Propulsé par CookieYes Logo
Get Your Free White Paper by Email

    I understand my submitted information will be used to help my request according myBrain Technologies. Discover the privacy policy.