Neuroethics ( IF 1.4 ) Pub Date : 2019-11-08 , DOI: 10.1007/s12152-019-09422-7 Frederic Gilbert , Brown , Dasgupta , Martens , Klein , Goering
One important concern regarding implantable Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) is the fear that the intervention will negatively change a patient’s sense of identity or agency. In particular, there is concern that the user will be psychologically worse-off following treatment despite postoperative functional improvements. Clinical observations from similar implantable brain technologies, such as deep brain stimulation (DBS), show a small but significant proportion of patients report feelings of strangeness or difficulty adjusting to a new concept of themselves characterized by a maladaptive je ne sais quoi despite clear motor improvement. Despite the growing number of cases in the DBS literature, there is currently no accepted or standardized tool in neuroethics specifically designed to capture the phenomenological postoperative experience of patients implanted with DBS or BCI devices. Given potential risks of postoperative maladaptation, it is important for the field of neuroethics to develop a qualitative instrument that can serve as a shared method for capturing postoperative variations in patient experience of identity and agency. The goal of this article is to introduce an instrument we have developed for this purpose and call for further neuroethical efforts to assess the phenomenology of implantable brain device use.
中文翻译:
捕捉植入式大脑设备使用现象的工具
关于植入式脑机接口 (BCI) 的一个重要问题是担心干预会对患者的身份或代理感产生负面影响。特别是,尽管术后功能有所改善,但用户在治疗后心理会变得更糟。来自类似植入式大脑技术的临床观察,如深部脑刺激 (DBS),显示一小部分但很大比例的患者报告感到陌生或难以适应以适应不良的je ne sais quoi为特征的新概念尽管有明显的运动改善。尽管 DBS 文献中的案例数量不断增加,但目前还没有公认的或标准化的神经伦理学工具,专门用于捕捉植入 DBS 或 BCI 设备的患者的现象学术后体验。鉴于术后适应不良的潜在风险,神经伦理学领域开发一种定性工具非常重要,该工具可以作为捕获患者身份和代理体验的术后变化的共享方法。本文的目的是介绍我们为此目的开发的一种工具,并呼吁进行进一步的神经伦理学努力来评估植入式大脑设备使用的现象学。