Transcending the brain: is there a cost to hacking the nervous system?

Shujhat Khan; Tipu Aziz

doi:10.1093/braincomms/fcz015

Transcending the brain: is there a cost to hacking the nervous system?

Brain Commun. 2019 Sep 16;1(1):fcz015. doi: 10.1093/braincomms/fcz015. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Shujhat Khan¹, Tipu Aziz²

Affiliations

¹ School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
² Department of Neurosurgery, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK.

Abstract

Great advancements have recently been made to understand the brain and the potential that we can extract out of it. Much of this has been centred on modifying electrical activity of the nervous system for improved physical and cognitive performance in those with clinical impairment. However, there is a risk of going beyond purely physiological performance improvements and striving for human enhancement beyond traditional human limits. Simple ethical guidelines and legal doctrine must be examined to keep ahead of technological advancement in light of the impending mergence between biology and machine. By understanding the role of modern ethics, this review aims to appreciate the fine boundary between what is considered ethically justified for current neurotechnology.

Keywords: brain–computer interface; deep brain stimulation; ethics; law; transcranial direct current stimulation.

Publication types

Review