Oxford Handbook of Neuroethics

by Judy Illes, Barbara J. Sahakian

Overview

The past two decades have seen unparalleled developments in our knowledge of the brain and mind. However, these advances have forced us to confront head-on some significant ethical issues regarding our application of this information in the real world- whether using brain images to establish guilt within a court of law, or developing drugs to enhance cognition.

Historically, any consideration of the ethical, legal, and social implications of emerging technologies in science and medicine has lagged behind the discovery of the technology itself. These delays have caused problems in the acceptability and potential applications of biomedical advances and posed significant problems for the scientific community and the public alike - for example in the case of genetic screening and human cloning. The field of Neuroethics aims to proactively anticipate ethical, legal and social issues at the intersection of neuroscience and ethics, raising questions about what the brain tells us about ourselves, whether the information is what people want or ought to know, and how best to communicate it.

A landmark in the academic literature, the Oxford Handbook of Neuroethics presents a pioneering review of a topic central to the sciences and humanities. It presents a range of chapters considering key issues, discussion, and debate at the intersection of brain and ethics. The handbook contains more than 50 chapters by leaders from around the world and a broad range of sectors of academia and clinical practice spanning the neurosciences, medical sciences and humanities and law. The book focuses on and provides a platform for dialogue of what neuroscience can do, what we might expect neuroscience will do, and what neuroscience ought to do. The major themes include: consciousness and intention; responsibility and determinism; mind and body; neurotechnology; ageing and dementia; law and public policy; and science, society and international perspectives.

Tackling some of the most significant ethical issues that face us now and will continue to do so over the coming decades, The Oxford Handbook of Neuroethics will be an essential resource for the field of neuroethics for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, basic scientists in the neurosciences and psychology, scholars in humanities and law, as well as physicians practising in the areas of primary care in neurological medicine.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199680634
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	04/06/2013
Series:	Oxford Library of Psychology
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	976
Product dimensions:	6.70(w) x 9.70(h) x 2.20(d)

About the Author

Dr. Illes is Professor of Neurology and Canada Research Chair in Neuroethics at the University of British Columbia. She is Director of the National Core for Neuroethics at UBC, and faculty in the Brain Research Centre at UBC and the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute. She also holds affiliate appointments in the School of Population and Public Health and the School of Journalism at UBC, and in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA, USA. Dr. Illes' research focuses on ethical, legal, social and policy challenges specifically at the intersection of the neurosciences and biomedical ethics. This includes studies on stem cells and regenerative medicine, functional neuroimaging in basic and clinical research dementia, addiction, neurodevelopmental disorders and the commercialization of cognitive neuroscience.

Barbara J Sahakian is Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology at the University of Cambridge Department of Psychiatry, and the Medical Research Council/Wellcome Trust Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute. She is also a Clinical Psychologist. She has an international reputation in the fields of cognitive psychopharmacology, neuroethics, neuropsychology, neuropsychiatry and neuroimaging. She is co-inventor of the CANTAB computerised neuropsychological tests, which are in use world-wide. She is probably best known for her research work on cognition and depression, cognitive enhancement using pharmacological treatments, neuroethics and early detection of Alzheimer's disease. She has over 300 publications covering these topics in various scientific journals. Her current programme of research, investigates the neurochemical modulation of impulsive and compulsive behaviour in neuropsychiatric disorders, such as unipolar and bipolar depression.

Table of Contents

Preface, Judy Illes and Barbara J. SahakianForeword, Alan I. LeshnerConsciousness and Intention: Decoding Mental States and Decision MakingBrain Reading: Decoding Mental States from Brain Activity in Humans, John Dylan-HaynesThe Neurobiology of Pleasure and Happiness, Morten Kringelbach and Kent C. BerridgeThe Neurobiological Basis of Morality, Christopher Suhler and Patricia ChurchlandDevelopment of the Adolescent Brain: Neuroethical Implications for the Understanding of Executive Function and Social Cognition, Monica LucianaNeural Foundations to Conscious and Volitional Control of Emotional Behaviour: A Mentalistic Perspective, Mario BeauregardNeural Correlates of Deception, Georgio Ganis and J. Peter RosenfeldUnderstanding Disorders of Consciousness, Camile Chatelle and Steven LaureysFunctional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Covert Awareness, and Brain Injury, Adrian M. OwenResponsibility and DeterminismGenetic Determinism, Neuronal Determinism, and Determinism Tout Court, Bernard Baertschi and Alexandre MauronThe Rise of Neuroessentialism, Peter B. ReinerA Neuroscientific Approach to Addiction: Ethical Concerns, Martina Reske and Martin P. PaulusThe Neurobiology of Addiction: Implications for Voluntary Control of Behaviour, Steven E. HymanNeuroethics of Free Will, Patrick HaggardMind and BodyPharmaceutical Cognitive Enhancement, Sharon Morein-Zamir and Barbara J. SahakianCognitive Enhancement, Elisabeth Hildt and Thomas MetzingerChemical Cognitive Enhancement: Is it Unfair, Unjust, Discriminatory or Cheating for Healthy Adults to Use Smart Drugs?, John HarrisCognitive Enhancement in Courts, Anders Sandberg, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, and Julian SavulescuNeuroethics and the Extended Mind, Neil LevyDoes Cognitive Enhancement Fit with the Physiology of our Cognition?, Herve ChneiweissADHD: Defining a Spectrum Disorder and Considering Neuroethical Implications, James M. Swanson, Timothy Wigal, Kimberley Lakes, and Nora D. VolkowNeurotechnologyWhy Neuroethicists are Needed, Ruth Fischbach and Janet MindesIntersecting Complexities in Neuroimaging and Neuroethics, Carole Federico, Sofia Lombera, and Judy IllesPediatric Neuroimaging Research, Michael R. Hadskis and MatthiasH. SchmidtEthical Issues in Functional Neurosurgery: Emerging Applications and Controversies, Nir Lipsman and Mark BernsteinNoninvasive Brain Stimulation as a Therapeutic and Investigative Tool: An Ethical Appraisal, Alvaro Pascual-Leone, Felipe Fregni, and Megan S. Steven, and Lachlan ForrowDBS for Treatment-Resistant Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Debra J.H. Matthews, Peter V. Rabins, and Ben D. GreenbergThe Ethical Issues of Trials of Neural Grafting in Patients with Neurodegenerative Conditions, Roger A. Barker and Alisdair ColesThe Ethics of Nano/Neuro Convergence, George KhushfAging and DementiaNeurobiological and Neuroethical Perspectives on the Contribution of Functional Neuroimaging to the Study of Aging in the Brain, Karima Kahlaoui, Maximiliano Wilson, Ana Ines Ansaldo, Bernadette Ska, and Yves JoanetteClinical Research on Conditions Affecting Cognitive Capacity, Samia HurstEthical Concerns and Pitfalls in Neurogenetic Testing, Ging-Yuek Robin HsiungNeuroethical Issues in Early Detection of Alzheimer's Disease, Marilyn S. Albert and Guy M. McKhannThe Neuroethics of Cognitive Reserve, Jerry Samet and Yaakov SternEthical Issues in the Management of Parkinson's Disease, Silke Appel-Cresswell and A. Jon StoesslThe Other Ethical Challenge of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Adrian J. IvinsonFuture Scoping: Ethical Issues in Ageing and Dementia, Julian C. HughesLaw and Public PolicyIncidental Findings in Neuroscience Research: A Fundamental Challenge to the Structure of Bioethics and Health Law, Susan M. WolfWhat Will Be the Limits of Neuroscience-Based Mindreading in the Law?, Emily R. Murphy and Henry T. GreelyFor the Law, Neuroscience Changes Nothing and Everything, Joshua Greene and Jonathan CohenNew Directions in Neuroscience Policy, Teneille R. Brown and Jennifer B. McCormickWomen's Neuroethics, Stacey A. TovinoPublic Representations of Neurogenetics, Amy Zarzeczny and Timothy CaulfieldBrain Trust: Neuroscience and National Security in the Twenty-First Century, Jonathan D. MorenoScience, Society, and International PerspectivesNeuroplasticity, Culture and Society, Bruce E. WexlerNeuroscience and Neuroethics in the 21st Century, Martha J. FarahNeuroscience and the Media: Ethical Challenges and Opportunities, Eric RacineEthical Issues in Educational Neuroscience: Raising Children in a Brave New World, Zachary Stein, Bruno della Chiesa, Christina Hinton, and Kurt W. FischerFrom the Internationalization to the Globalization of Neuroethics: Some Perspectives and Challenges, Daofen Chen and Remi QuirionGlobal Health Ethics, Jessica Evert, Robert Huish, Gary Heit, Evaleen Jones, Scott Loeliger, and Steve SchmidbauerEthical Perspectives: Clinical Drug Trials in Developing Countries, Craig van DykeLearning about Neuroethics Through Health Sciences Online: A Model for Global Dissemination, Kate Tairyan and Erica FrankEpilogue: Neuroethics and the Lure of Technology, Joseph J. Fins

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Ryan F Holmes, MA (Saint Louis University)
Description: This is a compilation of 52 essays that address many of the newest research endeavors and ethical challenges in neuroscience.
Purpose: The purpose is to highlight for neuroscientists the ethical implications of this evolving discipline as well as to inform members of the public of the many advances in the field. The book fills a great need by introducing both the details of the new science and analyzing what such science will mean to society in a manner accessible to many.
Audience: Intended primarily for scientists early in their careers and inquisitive members of the public, the essays appeal to a scientifically sophisticated audience, particularly those with a background in research and medicine. The authors, who come from both science and philosophy, tailor their discussions to a general audience and are, by and large, successful in introducing their points.
Features: The book covers topics ranging from consciousness, intention, and what recent discoveries have to say about how we approach ethics, to the new uses of advancing neurotechnology. The first two sections in particular focus more heavily on the neurological basis of ethical theory and the creation of moral norms in a way that allows for a new discussion of these foundational topics. Some of the more technical sections offer slightly less ethical analysis, however, and do not advance some of the concerns as much as they might.
Assessment: Overall, this is an interesting compilation of articles. While the ethical analysis runs thin at times, the discussion of the neurological techniques and their potential implications for society are well done. As a whole, the handbook serves as both an introduction to this new field of neuroethics by exploring the fascinating field of neurology and neurologic interventions, and invites deeper discussion about what these advances will mean for society and the future of humanity.

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