Rethinking the thinking cap
Ethics of neural enhancement using noninvasive brain stimulation
Abstract
Although a growing body of evidence suggests that noninvasive brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation have the capacity to enhance neural function in both brain-injured and neurally intact individuals, the implications of their potential use for cosmetic self-enhancement have not been fully explored. We review 3 areas in which noninvasive brain stimulation has the potential to enhance neurologic function: cognitive skills, mood, and social cognition. We then characterize the ethical problems that affect the practice of cosmetic neurology, including safety, character, justice, and autonomy, and discuss how these problems may apply to the use of noninvasive brain stimulation for self-enhancement.
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Copyright © 2011 by AAN Enterprises, Inc.
Publication History
Received: May 26, 2010
Accepted: August 30, 2010
Published online: January 10, 2011
Published in print: January 11, 2011
Disclosure
Dr. Hamilton receives research support from the NIH/NINDS (1K01NS060995 [PI]) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/Harold Amos Faculty Development Program. S. Messing holds stock in Medical Information Technology Inc. Dr. Chatterjee serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience and receives research support from the NIH (RO1 DC004817 [PI] and RO1 DC008779 [PI]) and the National Science Foundation.
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