Bioethics and the Brain

About this book

"Advances in psychiatry, neurology, and neurosurgery have given us fresh insights into the neurobiological basis of human thought and behavior. Technologies like MRI and PET scans can detect early signs of psychiatric disorders before they manifest symptoms. Electrical and magnetic stimulation of the brain can non-invasively relieve symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, and other conditions resistant to treatment, while implanting neuro-electrodes can help patients with Parkinson's and other motor control-related diseases. New drugs can help regenerate neuronal connections otherwise disrupted by schizophrenia and similar diseases." "All these procedures and drugs alter the neural correlates of our mind and raise fascinating and important ethical questions about their benefits and harms. They are, in a sense, among the most profound bioethical questions we face, since these techniques can touch on the most profound aspects of the human mind. Walter Glannon offers readers an introduction to this fast-growing subject. He combines discussion of the most recent research in clinical neuroscience with philosophical analysis to shed new light on such perennial philosophical issues as free will and the mind-body problem. He also uses prominent medical and legal cases and examples from literature to provide a more nuanced discussion of the central ethical questions."--Jacket.