NEUROTECHNOLOGY: A FOCUS FOR PUBLIC POLICY

The field of neuroscience draws together many disciplines in the study of the nervous system and the properties of mind. Although understanding the basic structure and physiology of the brain and its processes has led to high-impact findings, it is typically the manipulation or application of this knowledge that is most interesting to individuals outside the scientific community. The development and use of neurotechnologies, those tools and devices that interact with and modulate the nervous system, is a fast-emerging area of technical achievement that has vast potential to impact our understanding of, and interaction with the brain. The rapidly growing field of neurotechnology research and development employs knowledge and tools from diverse fields. It is through interdisciplinary, collaborative thinking that great advances have been made to develop, research, and transfer neurotechnology to the clinic and beyond. Such technologies include functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), deep brain stimulation (DBS), and neural prosthetics. Investigation into the mechanisms and functions of the brain is leading to a vastly improved understanding of brain disease, injuries, human cognition, and behavior, and will give us an unprecedented ability to heal, enhance, and manipulate the nervous system.

Many ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) of these technologies and their identified and potential uses have emerged, with others still to surface, as the scientific community and general public have increasing access to medical and commercial neurotechnologies (Eaton & Illes 2007).