Neuroethics & Law Blog

PEBS Neuroethics Roundup (JHU)

Last Edition's Most Popular Article(s): Writing Your Way to Happiness, New York Times In The Popular Press: Violent Psychopaths Don’t Register Punishment, Study Says, TIME Unconscious Thought Not So Smart After All, Nature News Neuroscience in the Courtroom: An Attempt for Clarity, Neuroethics Blog Keeping An Open Mind About Consciousness Research, NewScientist Leaky Blood Vessels In The Brain May Lead To Alzheimer's, NPR: Shots Blog Mindfulness Exercises Improve Kids’ Math Scores, TIME More Differences Than Similarities Are Found in Autistic Siblings, New York Times The Science Behind Procrastination, TIME The Intriguing New Science That Could Change Your Mind About Rats, Wired Study Says Creativity Can Flow From Political Correctness, NPR A Blind Woman Gains New Freedom, Click By Click By Click, NPR: Shots Blog Technology Can't Make You Fall Asleep, Marketplace Tech People Think Expensive Drugs Work Better, Study Shows, TIME Why Upper Motor Neurons Degenerate in ALS, ScienceDaily Portable Mind-Reader Gives Voice to Locked-In People, NewScientist A Former Child Soldier Will Stand Trial In The Hague For War Crimes, NPR Lucid Dreams and Metacognition: Awareness of Thinking; Awareness of Dreaming, ScienceDaily Virtual Games Try To Generate Real Empathy For Faraway Conflict, NPR: All Tech Considered Blog Second Blow to the Head for Effects of Brain Zapping, NewScientist In the Academic Literature: Punishment and Psychopathy: A Case-Control Functional MRI Investigation of Reinforcement Learning in Violent Antisocial Personality Disordered Men, The Lancet Psychiatry Fear Generalization in the Primate Amygdala, Nature Neuroscience Leptin-Inhibited PBN Neurons Enhance Responses to Hypoglycemia in Negative Energy Balance, Nature Neuroscience Placebo Effect of Medication Cost in Parkinson Disease, Neurology                A Number-Form Area in the Blind, Nature Communications Exogenous and Evoked Oxytocin Restores Social Behavior in the Cntnap2 Mouse Model of Autism, Science Translational Medicine Cortical Activity Evoked by Inoculation Needle Prick in Infants up to One-Year Old, Pain Genome-Wide Functional Analysis of CREB/Long-Term Memory-Dependent Transcription Reveals Distinct Basal and Memory Gene Expression Programs, Neuron Thirst Driving and Suppressing Signals Encoded by Distinct Neural Populations in the Brain, Nature   Events/Calls For Abstracts: Call for Abstracts (Deadline - March 31, 2015): Neuroetherapeutics and Psychosurgery Conference. Center for Cognition and Neuroethics, University of Michigan-Flint Summer Seminar/CFP (Deadline March 1, 2015): Mirror Neurons, Empathy and Autism. Center for Cognition and Neuroethics, University of Michigan-Flint

Subscribe to our mailing list The Program in Ethics and Brain Sciences (PEBS) is a collaborative effort of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and the Johns Hopkins Brain Sciences Institute . The goal of PEBS is to ensure that research in brain science proceeds with an informed understanding of ethical issues, and that philosophical and empirical analyses of the advances in brain research proceed with an informed understanding of the science.

PEBS Neuroethics Roundup (JHU)

Last Edition's Most Popular Article(s): I Tried A Brain-Altering Wearable That Allows Users To Change Their Moods On Demand, Quartz In The Popular Press:  Psychologists Seek Roots of Terror, Nature News How the Brain Stores Trivial Memories, Just in Case, New York Times “Believe the Children”? Childhood Memory, Amnesia, and its Implications for Law, Neuroethics Blog Neuroimaging and the Law: Pitfalls, Bill of Health Blog How Diederik Stapel Became A Science Fraud, Discover Editing the Brain: How New Epigenetic Tools Could Rewrite Our Understanding of Memory and More, ScienceDaily In Charge, and Sounding the Part, New York Times Brain Recalls Old Memories via New Pathways, National Institutes of Health Writing Your Way to Happiness, New York Times Paralyzed Rats Walk Again with Flexible Spinal Implant, Scientific American Psychologists Can Give You False Memories of Having Committed a Crime, Discover In the Academic Literature: Swarming Away from Smells, Nature Reviews Neuroscience The Paraventricular Thalamus Controls a Central Amygdala Fear Circuit, Nature Common Genetic Variants Influence Human Subcortical Brain Structures, Nature Neuropathic Pain Is Constitutively Suppressed in Early Life by Anti-Inflammatory Neuroimmune Regulation, The Journal of Neuroscience Decoding a Wide Range of Hand Configurations from Macaque Motor, Premotor, and Parietal Cortices, The Journal of Neuroscience Sex-Dependent Dissociation between Emotional Appraisal and Memory: A Large-Scale Behavioral and fMRI Study, The Journal of Neuroscience                Flagellin as Carrier and Adjuvant in Cocaine Vaccine Development, Molecular Pharmaceutics Monochrome Forests and Colorful Trees: The Effect of Black-and-White versus Color Imagery on Construal Level, Journal of Consumer Research Events/Calls For Abstracts: Call for Abstracts (Deadline - March 31, 2015): Neuroetherapeutics and Psychosurgery Conference. Center for Cognition and Neuroethics, University of Michigan-Flint Summer Seminar/CFP (Deadline March 1, 2015): Mirror Neurons, Empathy and Autism. Center for Cognition and Neuroethics, University of Michigan-Flint

Subscribe to our mailing list The Program in Ethics and Brain Sciences (PEBS) is a collaborative effort of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and the Johns Hopkins Brain Sciences Institute . The goal of PEBS is to ensure that research in brain science proceeds with an informed understanding of ethical issues, and that philosophical and empirical analyses of the advances in brain research proceed with an informed understanding of the science.

"A Diet Enriched with Curcumin Impairs Newly Acquired and Reactivated Fear Memories"

"A Diet Enriched with Curcumin Impairs Newly Acquired and Reactivated Fear Memories"

Monsey MS, Gerhard DM, et. al.

Abstract

Curcumin, a yellow-pigment compound found in the popular Indian spice turmeric (Curcuma longa), has been extensively investigated for its anti-inflammatory, chemopreventative, and antidepressant properties. Here, we examined the efficacy of dietary curcumin at impairing the consolidation and reconsolidation of a Pavlovian fear memory, a widely studied animal model of traumatic memory formation in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We show that a diet enriched with 1.5% curcumin prevents the training-related elevation in the expression of the immediate early genes (IEGs) Arc/Arg3.1 and Egr-1 in the lateral amygdala (LA) and impairs the 'consolidation' of an auditory Pavlovian fear memory; short-term memory (STM) is intact, whereas long-term memory (LTM) is significantly impaired. Next, we show that dietary curcumin impairs the 'reconsolidation' of a recently formed auditory Pavlovian fear memory; fear memory retrieval (reactivation) and postreactivation (PR)-STM are intact, whereas PR-LTM is significantly impaired. Additional experiments revealed that dietary curcumin is also effective at impairing the reconsolidation of an older, well-consolidated fear memory. Furthermore, we observed that fear memories that fail to reconsolidate under the influence of dietary curcumin are impaired in an enduring manner; unlike extinguished fear memories, they are not subject to reinstatement or renewal. Collectively, our findings indicate that a diet enriched with curcumin is capable of impairing fear memory consolidation and reconsolidation processes, findings that may have important clinical implications for the treatment of disorders such as PTSD that are characterized by unusually strong and persistently reactivated fear memories.

PEBS Neuroethics Roundup (JHU)

Last Edition's Most Popular Article(s): If You Want to Meet That Deadline, Play a Trick on Your Mind, New York Times In The Popular Press: The Woman Who Sees Like A Bat, Nature Audio I Tried A Brain-Altering Wearable That Allows Users To Change Their Moods On Demand, Quartz Subliminal Perception: Just How Fast Is The Brain?, Discover Monkeys Seem To Recognize Their Reflections, Nature News Ethical Issues in Neurosurgery: A Special Issue of Virtual Mentor, The Neuroethics Blog Blown-Up Brains Reveal Nanoscale Details, Nature News The Tragic History of Surgery for Schizophrenia, Discover Can Pigs Empathize?, Scientific American Why Pygmies Aren't Scared By The 'Psycho' Theme, NPR Goats and Soda Blog Invisibilia: NPR's Fascinating New Podcast About The Mysteries Inside Our Heads, Vox A Short History of Mental Illness In Art, The Guardian Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, But Science Can Help, NPR Shots Blog Bored ... And Brilliant? A Challenge To Disconnect From Your Phone, NPR All Tech Considered Blog Neuroprosthetics For Paralysis: Biocompatible, Flexible Implant Slips Into The Spinal Cord, ScienceDaily What’s The Truth About “TruBrain”?, Discover How The Sense of Taste Has Shaped Who We Are, Scientific American What You 'Like' On Facebook Gives Away Your Personality, NewScientist You Can Make People Trust You With This Scent, Study Says, TIME   In the Academic Literature: Free Will Skepticism: Current Arguments and Future Directions, Neuroethics Tryptophan Promotes Charitable Donating, Frontiers in Psychology The Effect Of Audio Therapy To Treat Postoperative Pain In Children Undergoing Major Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Pediatric Surgery                New Human-Specific Brain Landmark: The Depth Asymmetry Of Superior Temporal Sulcus, PNAS Computer-Based Personality Judgments Are More Accurate Than Those Made By Humans, PNAS Medial Prefrontal Cortex Reacts To Unfairness If This Damages The Self: A tDCS Study, Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience The Extended iSelf: The Impact of iPhone Separation on Cognition, Emotion, and Physiology, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication You Turn Me Cold: Evidence for Temperature Contagion, PLoS One Long Working Hours And Alcohol Use: Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Published Studies And Unpublished Individual Participant Data, BMJ   Events/Calls For Abstracts: Call for Abstracts (Deadline - January 20, 2015): The Work of Cognition and Neuroethics in Science Fiction. Center for Cognition and Neuroethics, University of Michigan-Flint Call for Abstracts (Deadline - March 31, 2015): Neuroetherapeutics and Psychosurgery Conference. Center for Cognition and Neuroethics, University of Michigan-Flint Summer Seminar/CFP (Deadline March 1, 2015): Mirror Neurons, Empathy and Autism. Center for Cognition and Neuroethics, University of Michigan-Flint

Subscribe to our mailing list The Program in Ethics and Brain Sciences (PEBS) is a collaborative effort of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and the  Johns Hopkins Brain Sciences Institute . The goal of PEBS is to ensure that research in brain science proceeds with an informed understanding of ethical issues, and that philosophical and empirical analyses of the advances in brain research proceed with an informed understanding of the science.

"The Ethics of Molecular Memory Modification"

Recently published in the Journal of Medical Ethics:

"The Ethics of Molecular Memory Modification"

Katrina Hui

Carl E. Fisher

Novel molecular interventions have recently shown the potential to erase, enhance and alter specific long-term memories. Unique features of this form of memory modification call for a close examination of its possible applications. While there have been discussions of the ethics of memory modification in the literature, molecular memory modification (MMM) can provide special insights. Previously raised ethical concerns regarding memory enhancement, such as safety issues, the ‘duty to remember’, selfhood and personal identity, require re-evaluation in light of MMM. As a technology that exploits the brain's updating processes, MMM helps correct the common misconception that memory is a static entity by demonstrating how memory is plastic and subject to revision even in the absence of external manipulation. Furthermore, while putatively safer than other speculative technologies because of its high specificity, MMM raises notable safety issues, including potential insidious effects on the agent's emotions and personal identity. Nonetheless, MMM possesses characteristics of a more permissible form of modification, not only because it is theoretically safer, but because its unique mechanism of action requires a heightened level of cooperation from the agent. Discussions of memory modification must consider the specific mechanisms of action, which can alter the weight and relevance of various ethical concerns. MMM also highlights the need for conceptual accuracy regarding the term ‘enhancement’; this umbrella term will have to be differentiated as new technologies are applied to a widening array of purposes.

PEBS Neuroethics Roundup (JHU)

Last Edition's Most Popular Article(s): The Scientific Evidence Against Spanking, Timeouts, and Sleep Training, Quartz In The Popular Press: What Heroin Addiction Tells Us About Changing Bad Habits, NPR Shots Blog If You Want to Meet That Deadline, Play a Trick on Your Mind, New York Times Rave Drug Holds Promise for Treating Depression Fast, Nature News Serotonin Map of Brain Could Lead to Better Targeted Antidepressants, The Guardian Brain Scans May Help Predict Future Problems, And Solutions, NPR Shots Blog What are the Ethics of Using Brain Stimulation Technologies for ‘Enhancement’ in Children?, Oxford Practical Ethics Blog Limiting Rest Is Found to Help Young Concussion Patients, New York Times Brain Imaging May Help Predict Future Behavior, ScienceDaily Prenatal Blueprints Give an Early Glimpse of a Baby’s Developing Brain, The Guardian Discovery, Guided by Morality, New York Times Is Depression a Kind of Allergic Reaction?, The Guardian Brain Freeze, New York Times Magazine Neuroscience and Human Rights, The Neuroethics Blog Coffee and Tea May Protect the Brain, Scientific American Can a Smartphone Tell if You’re Depressed?, Wall Street Journal In the Academic Literature: The Ethics of Molecular Memory Modification, Journal of Medical Ethics The Power of the Mind: The Cortex as a Critical Determinant of Muscle Strength/Weakness, Journal of Neurophysiology Criminal Behavior in Frontotemporal Dementia and Alzheimer Disease, JAMA Neurology                Neuroepithelial Circuit Formed by Innervation of Sensory Enteroendocrine Cells, The Journal of Clinical Investigation Wearable Organic Optoelectronic Sensors for Medicine, Advanced Materials Cortical fosGFP Expression Reveals Broad Receptive Field Excitatory Neurons Targeted by POm, Neuron Depressive Thoughts Limit Working Memory Capacity in Dysphoria, Cognition & Emotion Is Deep Brain Stimulation a Treatment Option for Anorexia Nervosa?, BMC Psychiatry Events/Calls For Abstracts: Call for Abstracts (Deadline - January 20, 2015): The Work of Cognition and Neuroethics in Science Fiction. Center for Cognition and Neuroethics, University of Michigan-Flint Call for Abstracts (Deadline - March 31, 2015): Neuroetherapeutics and Psychosurgery Conference. Center for Cognition and Neuroethics, University of Michigan-Flint Summer Seminar/CFP (Deadline March 1, 2015): Mirror Neurons, Empathy and Autism. Center for Cognition and Neuroethics, University of Michigan-Flint

Subscribe to our mailing list The Program in Ethics and Brain Sciences (PEBS) is a collaborative effort of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and the  Johns Hopkins Brain Sciences Institute . The goal of PEBS is to ensure that research in brain science proceeds with an informed understanding of ethical issues, and that philosophical and empirical analyses of the advances in brain research proceed with an informed understanding of the science.

"Free Will Skepticism: Current Arguments and Future Directions"

"Free Will Skepticism: Current Arguments and Future Directions" by Heidi M. Ravven has been published in the most recent issue in Neuroethics:

Abstract
Offered here is a review of Gregg D. Caruso’s edited volume, Exploring the Illusion of Free will and Moral Responsibility [1]. Assembled here are essays by nearly all the major contributors to the philosophical free will debate on the denial and skeptical side. The volume tells us where the field currently is and also gives us a sense of how the free will debate is actually advancing toward greater understanding. Perhaps we can even discern some glimmer of hope for a resolution or a degree of consensus that could, in the near future, underlie or give rise to practical engagements to bring about significant social transformations and innovations toward a more humane society.

"Delusions and Responsibility for Action: Insights from the Breivik Case"

"Delusions and Responsibility for Action: Insights from the Breivik Case" by Lisa Bortolotti, et. al., has been published in the most recent issue in Neuroethics:

Abstract
What factors should be taken into account when attributing criminal responsibility to perpetrators of severe crimes? We discuss the Breivik case, and the considerations which led to holding Breivik accountable for his criminal acts. We put some pressure on the view that experiencing certain psychiatric symptoms or receiving a certain psychiatric diagnosis is sufficient to establish criminal insanity. We also argue that the presence of delusional beliefs, often regarded as a key factor in determining responsibility, is neither necessary nor sufficient for criminal insanity.

"Enhancing Autonomy by Reducing Impulsivity: The Case of ADHD"

"Enhancing Autonomy by Reducing Impulsivity: The Case of ADHD" by Jonathan Pugh has been published in the most recent issue in Neuroethics:

Abstract
In a recent article in this journal, Schaefer et al. argue that it might be possible to enhance autonomy through the use of cognitive enhancements. In this article, I highlight an example that Schaefer et al. do not acknowledge of a way in which we already seem to be using pharmacological agents in a manner that can be understood as enhancing an agent’s autonomy. To make this argument, I begin by following other theorists in the philosophical literature in claiming that impulsivity can serve to undermine an agent’s autonomy. I then explain that we are already able to reduce impulsivity through the use of pharmacological interventions, as is evidenced by the use of Methylphenidate in the treatment of ADHD.

"Convergent Expert Views on Decision-Making for Decompressive Craniectomy in Malignant MCA Syndrome"

"Convergent Expert Views on Decision-Making for Decompressive Craniectomy in Malignant MCA Syndrome" by Daniel Mendelsohn, et. al., has been published in the most recent issue of Neuroethics:

Abstract

Background and Purpose
The decision to perform decompressive craniectomy for patients with malignant MCA syndrome can be ethically complex. We investigated factors that clinicians consider in this decision-making process.

Methods
A survey including clinical vignettes and attitudes questions surrounding the use of hemicraniectomy in malignant MCA syndrome was distributed to 203 neurosurgeons, neurologists, staff and residents, and nurses and allied health members specializing in the care of neurological patients. These were practicing health care providers situated in an urban setting in Canada where access to health care is covered by national policy and is a human right.

Results
Eighty-eight participants responded to survey. All participants unanimously supported the procedure for young and healthy patients. Advanced age, the presence of aphasia, comorbid medical conditions, and poor baseline functional status were dominant factors associated with increasing reluctance to offer surgical decompression. Patients’ previously expressed wishes were also an important consideration. Eighty-six percent of respondents agreed that withholding surgery is ethically justified if the outcome is perceived as futile.

Conclusions
Health care providers use similar factors to determine if aggressive management is justified given anticipated burden on patient quality of life and extended impact on society. This convergence can be harnessed beneficially for the transparent communication of medical options in the ethically complex setting of decompressive hemicraniectomy post-stroke.

"Cognitive Enhancement: Perceptions Among Parents of Children with Disabilities"

"Cognitive Enhancement: Perceptions Among Parents of Children with Disabilities" by Natalie Ball and Gregor Wolbring has been published in the most recent issue of Neuroethics:

Abstract
Cognitive enhancement is an increasingly discussed topic and policy suggestions have been put forward. We present here empirical data of views of parents of children with and without cognitive disabilities. Analysis of the interviews revealed six primary overarching themes: meanings of health and treatment; the role of medicine; harm; the ‘good’ parent; normality and self-perception; and ability. Interestingly none of the parents used the term ethics and only one parent used the term moral twice.

"A Bio-Social and Ethical Framework for Understanding Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders"

"A Bio-Social and Ethical Framework for Understanding Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders" by Carla Meurk, et. al, has been published in the most recent issue of Neuroethics

Abstract
The diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) is embedded in a matrix of biological, social and ethical processes, making it an important topic for crossdisciplinary social and ethical research. This article reviews different branches of research relevant to understanding how FASD is identified and defined and outlines a framework for future social and ethical research in this area. We outline the character of scientific research into FASD, epidemiological discrepancies between reported patterns of maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and the incidence of FASD, and the social and ethical considerations that may impact on who is, and is not, diagnosed. We highlight what further research investigating FASD diagnostic processes, as well as the multi-generational impacts of FASD, is needed. Important research priorities are to: 1) enumerate the variety of stakeholders involved in seeking FASD diagnoses; 2) understand the experiences and perspectives of mothers from different backgrounds who have consumed alcohol during pregnancy and their affected children; and 3) collect health histories of maternal alcohol consumption in families to determine the effect of FASD at sub-cultural and cultural levels.

"Punishing Adolescents—On Immaturity and Diminished Responsibility"

"Punishing Adolescents—On Immaturity and Diminished Responsibility" by Jesper Ryberg has been published in the most recent issue of Neuroethics:

Abstract
Should an adolescent offender be punished more leniently than an adult offender? Many theorists believe the answer to be in the affirmative. According to the diminished culpability model, adolescents are less mature than adults and, therefore, less responsible for their wrongdoings and should consequently be punished less harshly. This article concerns the first part of the model: the relation between immaturity and diminished responsibility. It is argued that this relation faces three normative challenges which do not allow for easy answers and which are still widely ignored in the comprehensive discussion of the diminished culpability model.