Indicators and criteria of consciousness for behaviourally unresponsive patients
Identifying and quantifying residual consciousness in patients with disorders of consciousness is notoriously challenging but increasingly urgent. There is a high rate of misdiagnosis among patients suffering from these disorders, particularly between vegetative states/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome and minimally conscious states. A recent BMC Medical Ethics publication explores how operational indicators previously introduced to assess consciousness…
The neuroethics contribution to AI ethics and regulation
The AI ethics research field is growing rapidly. So is the number of guidelines issued to provide operational recommendations to manage the ethical issues raised by AI design, development and implementation. In a recent Neuroethics publication, Michele Farisco, Kathinka Evers and Arleen Salles suggest some of the applied issues covered by these guidelines can in…
Calling all professionals working with Disorders of Consciousness!
As part of the International Brain Injury Association’s Disorders of Consciousness Special Interest Group, we invite professionals working in the field to request their participation in a survey. The intent is to explore professional opinions relevant to the recommendations included in the newly issued Guidelines on Disorders of Consciousness from the European Academy of Neurology…
Digital twins & virtual brains: the importance of conceptual clarity and transparency
Researchers are trying to develop digital twins of the human brain by building so-called ‘virtual brains’. Trying to create virtual copies of such a complex organ, that we know increasingly yet still very little about is a great challenge. In a recent publication, Kathinka Evers and Arleen Salles explore philosophical and neuroethical challenges associated with…
The value of neuroethics and philosophical reflection in the Human Brain Project
The Human Brain Project is committed to implementing responsibility in research and innovation practices. But implementing responsibility means more than setting standards or enforcing compliance. It also means changing mindsets and promoting an ethical culture: A culture where scientific excellence also includes ethical excellence. In the Human Brain Project, we are integrating neuroethics and philosophy…