Ethical Issues in Behavioral Neuroscience Ethics of Human Research in Behavioral Neuroscience: Overview of Section II Grace Lee
This volume, Ethics in Behavioral Neuroscience, gathers fresh new perspectives on how the ethical and rational pursuit of knowledge informs the neurobiological approach to the study of behavior. The first section of the volume focuses on ethical challenges for experimental approaches in behavioral neuroscience research using nonhuman subjects. It represents the ethical challenges of experimental animal research on how the brain drives external behaviors as well as the internal processes underlying these behaviors, such as responses to stimuli from the environment, learning, memory, emotion, and perception. Despite the difficulties of directly translating results from experiments with animal models to the human condition, the knowledge gained from basic research provides deep insights into the processes underlying behavior. The chapters in the first section provide authoritative reviews of commonly used experimental approaches to study behavior, including the creation of behavioral deficits via genetic manipulation, selective breeding, pharmacologic interventions, or invasive surgical procedures. The chapters each further provide scholarly discussion of the ethical problems that arise from considerations associated with these experimental approaches. As a segue to the first section of the volume, the second section of the volume brings together nine chapters from seven different countries and covers a wide range of neuroscience research in the area of human behavior. Cassaday starts this section with a discussion on important ethical issues related to inducing illness in experimental subjects to model neuronal disorders, and emphasizes the differences between neuroscience and other biomedical research. Christen and Müller present a framework for understanding the structure of moral agency, discuss how brain
G. Lee (&) National Core for Neuroethics, Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology, University of British Columbia, 2211 Wesbrook Mall, Koerner Pavilion S-124, Vancouver, BC V6T 2B5, Canada e-mail: [email protected] © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014 Curr Topics Behav Neurosci DOI 10.1007/7854_2014_343
G. Lee
lesions produce changes in moral behavior, and identify ethical challenges for investigating these shifting phenomena. Two chapters focus on neuroimaging interventions that are currently being developed for use in health care. Volume editors Lee and Illes report findings from a qualitative study of the ethics of brain imaging and genetic testing for predicting and diagnosing mental illness in youth. We report that imaging and genetic testing may potentially provide clarity about mental illness and more accurate diagnoses. These benefits are balanced against the complexities of interpreting test results in the mental health context and the potential negative impact on a young person's selfesteem. Farisco, Laureys, and Evers review recent advancements in neuroimaging research to assess residual consciousness in patients with disorders of consciousness and reflect upon the ethical impact of these advances on informed consent and selfdetermination. Their chapter expands from prior work on the neuroscience of disorders of consciousness by offering neurophilosophical and neuroclinical perspectives of the possibilities and limits of neuroimaging in this domain. Cabrera discusses how the ability for cognitive enhancement affects human values and uses the interplay between enhancing and valuing to argue for social responsibility around enhancement practices. Racine, Bell, and Zizzo discuss the ethical and clinical challenges of deep brain stimulation as an evolving technology for neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions. Together, these two chapters cover both ends of the spectrum in the conversation about the ethical use of brain technology in health and disease. Altis, Elwood, and Olatunji review the empirically supported treatments for anxiety disorders under the category of exposure therapy, discuss related ethical concerns, and suggest strategies for how to minimize risk during exposure. Their suggestion that risk management improves patient outcomes during the course of exposure therapy is particularly salient in terms of ethical considerations such as anxiety symptom exacerbation, inadequate training of therapists, and the risk of physical harm. Maney discusses current examples of publicly misrepresented findings from studies of sex differences, argues how such misrepresentation may lead to a crisis in public health, and offers recommendations to the research community for addressing this important problem. The arguments presented in this chapter remind researchers about how responsible science communication can have a positive impact on attitudes and actions in healthcare, education, and other aspects of society. Eaton, Kwon, and Scott focus on the ethics of clinical trials, and they specifically examine the ethical and social effects that arise when biopharmaceutical companies prematurely end their clinical trials for financial reasons. They offer patient-centered recommendations that rest on corporate social responsibility and a collective research ethic. Taken together, these original contributions highlight the need to deepen the ethical discourse as research in behavioral neuroscience continues. Pragmatic anticipation and examination of ethical issues are critical to assure the most beneficial translation of findings in behavioral neuroscience research for the promotion of public health.
This volume, Ethics in Behavioral Neuroscience, gathers fresh new perspectives on how the ethical and rational pursuit of knowledge informs the neurobiological approach to the study of behavior. The first section of the volume focuses on ethical challenges for experimental approaches in behavioral neuroscience research using nonhuman subjects. It represents the ethical challenges of experimental animal research on how the brain drives external behaviors as well as the internal processes underlying these behaviors, such as responses to stimuli from the environment, learning, memory, emotion, and perception. Despite the difficulties of directly translating results from experiments with animal models to the human condition, the knowledge gained from basic research provides deep insights into the processes underlying behavior. The chapters in the first section provide authoritative reviews of commonly used experimental approaches to study behavior, including the creation of behavioral deficits via genetic manipulation, selective breeding, pharmacologic interventions, or invasive surgical procedures. The chapters each further provide scholarly discussion of the ethical problems that arise from considerations associated with these experimental approaches. As a segue to the first section of the volume, the second section of the volume brings together nine chapters from seven different countries and covers a wide range of neuroscience research in the area of human behavior. Cassaday starts this section with a discussion on important ethical issues related to inducing illness in experimental subjects to model neuronal disorders, and emphasizes the differences between neuroscience and other biomedical research. Christen and Müller present a framework for understanding the structure of moral agency, discuss how brain
G. Lee (&) National Core for Neuroethics, Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology, University of British Columbia, 2211 Wesbrook Mall, Koerner Pavilion S-124, Vancouver, BC V6T 2B5, Canada e-mail: [email protected] © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014 Curr Topics Behav Neurosci DOI 10.1007/7854_2014_343
G. Lee
lesions produce changes in moral behavior, and identify ethical challenges for investigating these shifting phenomena. Two chapters focus on neuroimaging interventions that are currently being developed for use in health care. Volume editors Lee and Illes report findings from a qualitative study of the ethics of brain imaging and genetic testing for predicting and diagnosing mental illness in youth. We report that imaging and genetic testing may potentially provide clarity about mental illness and more accurate diagnoses. These benefits are balanced against the complexities of interpreting test results in the mental health context and the potential negative impact on a young person's selfesteem. Farisco, Laureys, and Evers review recent advancements in neuroimaging research to assess residual consciousness in patients with disorders of consciousness and reflect upon the ethical impact of these advances on informed consent and selfdetermination. Their chapter expands from prior work on the neuroscience of disorders of consciousness by offering neurophilosophical and neuroclinical perspectives of the possibilities and limits of neuroimaging in this domain. Cabrera discusses how the ability for cognitive enhancement affects human values and uses the interplay between enhancing and valuing to argue for social responsibility around enhancement practices. Racine, Bell, and Zizzo discuss the ethical and clinical challenges of deep brain stimulation as an evolving technology for neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions. Together, these two chapters cover both ends of the spectrum in the conversation about the ethical use of brain technology in health and disease. Altis, Elwood, and Olatunji review the empirically supported treatments for anxiety disorders under the category of exposure therapy, discuss related ethical concerns, and suggest strategies for how to minimize risk during exposure. Their suggestion that risk management improves patient outcomes during the course of exposure therapy is particularly salient in terms of ethical considerations such as anxiety symptom exacerbation, inadequate training of therapists, and the risk of physical harm. Maney discusses current examples of publicly misrepresented findings from studies of sex differences, argues how such misrepresentation may lead to a crisis in public health, and offers recommendations to the research community for addressing this important problem. The arguments presented in this chapter remind researchers about how responsible science communication can have a positive impact on attitudes and actions in healthcare, education, and other aspects of society. Eaton, Kwon, and Scott focus on the ethics of clinical trials, and they specifically examine the ethical and social effects that arise when biopharmaceutical companies prematurely end their clinical trials for financial reasons. They offer patient-centered recommendations that rest on corporate social responsibility and a collective research ethic. Taken together, these original contributions highlight the need to deepen the ethical discourse as research in behavioral neuroscience continues. Pragmatic anticipation and examination of ethical issues are critical to assure the most beneficial translation of findings in behavioral neuroscience research for the promotion of public health.
