Is My Mind Mine? - Center for American Progress · Is My Mind Mine? Psychiatry & the Emergence of Neuroethics Paul Root Wolpe, Ph.D.Ph.D Center for Bioethics ... How Brain Fingerprinting

Is My Mind Mine?Psychiatry & the Emergence of Neuroethics

Paul Root Wolpe, Paul Root Wolpe, Ph.DPh.D.Center for BioethicsCenter for Bioethics

Departments of Psychiatry, Medical Ethics and SociologyDepartments of Psychiatry, Medical Ethics and SociologyUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Chief of BioethicsChief of Bioethics

National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNational Aeronautics and Space Administration

A controversial claim: Something fundamentally new is happening.

Until now, ALL information that we got from human beings we got from their peripheral nervous system.

For the first time in human history, we are developing the ability to bypass the peripheral nervous system and get information directly from the brain.

Assuming this is true:

Does it matter?

Is something new happening?

Bypassing the Peripheral Nervous System

• Phelps: Amygdala activation and racism

• Greene: Emotional activation & moral decision-making

• Canli: Extroverts amygdala activation to smiling faces

• Price, Zeffiro: Can he read English -- or Arabic?

• Kamitani & Tong, Haynes and Rees: visual patterns

• Schaefer et al: Violent offenders & brain structure

Bufkin & Luttrell:

“The consistency with which prefrontal disruption occurs across studies, each of which investigated participants with different types of violent behaviors, suggests that prefrontal dysfunction may underlie predisposition to violence.”

Bypassing the Peripheral Nervous System

• Phelps: Amygdala activation and racism

• Greene: Emotional activation & moral decision-making

• Canli: Extroverts amygdala activation to smiling faces

• Price, Zeffiro: Can he read English -- or Arabic?

• Kamitani & Tong, Haynes and Rees: visual patterns

• Schaefer et al: Violent offenders & brain structure

•• Freedman & Freedman & IacoboniIacoboni: Democrats and: Democrats andRepublicansRepublicans

•• Farwell: Brain FingerprintingFarwell: Brain Fingerprinting

•• LanglebenLangleben, , LakenLaken: : fMRIfMRI for lie detectionfor lie detection

Neuroprivacy

We believe in and treasure our inner lives as a private domain We believe in and treasure our inner lives as a private domain

where none can enter. where none can enter.

Historically, religion preached that God had access to our Historically, religion preached that God had access to our

private thoughts; confession was intended to compel revelation oprivate thoughts; confession was intended to compel revelation of f

the inner life. the inner life.

Think deeply about a world where others haveThink deeply about a world where others have

access to subjective states of your mind. Do access to subjective states of your mind. Do

you want it? Can such an ability be available you want it? Can such an ability be available

and not be abused? Is the asset to forensics, and not be abused? Is the asset to forensics,

civil society, the military, national civil society, the military, national

security worth the potential invasion of privacy?security worth the potential invasion of privacy?

Are You Lying?Are You Lying?

Langleben, D. D., et. al.,

"Brain Activity During

Simulated Deception: An

Event Related Functional

Magnetic Resonance

Study", 15 NeuroImage,

January 4, 2002.

Lawrence Farwell and Lawrence Farwell and ““Brain FingerprintingBrain Fingerprinting””

How Brain Fingerprinting Works(Memory and Encoding Related Multifaceted Electroencephalographic Response -- MERMER)

Probes

Stimuli relevant to the investigation under question

Irrelevants

Matched to Probes (eg, if the issue is clothing warn during crime, four pieces of irrelevant clothing will be shown for each probe)

Targets

Comparison images or words familiar to the subject but not relevant to investigation; subjects are told to pay particular attention before testing. Can be general or given by experimenters

“Information present” case

“Information absent” case

Farwell, Larry. “Brain Fingerprinting”

Test of brain fingerprinting, showing

statistical accuracy claimed for the

method. http://www.brainwavescience.com/FBIRPT4.htm

“"It is highly scientific, brain

fingerprinting doesn't have anything

to do with the emotions, whether a

person is sweating or not; it simply

detects scientifically if that

information is stored in the brain,"

says Dr Farwell.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3495433

.stm

A variety of visceral events can now be recorded noninvasively, including myocardial contractility, cardiac output, total peripheral resistance, skin temperature (thermography), and vascular perfusion in various cutaneoustissue beds.

Britton Chance at Penn and Banu Onaral and her

team at Drexel are

working on fNIRdetection of lies, surrently

using headbands with sensors.

Questions to PonderQuestions to Ponder

I.I. Privacy:Privacy:DD\\o we have an absolute or relative right to cognitive privacy? Foo we have an absolute or relative right to cognitive privacy? Forensics, Security, rensics, Security,

Civil, School, Parental Civil, School, Parental ---- for what and on whom will it be used? Will we allow covert for what and on whom will it be used? Will we allow covert

use? Who will assume what roles in deciding if the technology isuse? Who will assume what roles in deciding if the technology is accurate, safe, accurate, safe,

proper? Courts, legislature, psychologists, legal scholars, ethproper? Courts, legislature, psychologists, legal scholars, ethicists?icists?

II.II. Clinical CareClinical CareWhat do we mean by What do we mean by ““normal brainsnormal brains”” as we manipulate and alter our brain as we manipulate and alter our brain

chemistry? How might we expand our ideas of brain function as wechemistry? How might we expand our ideas of brain function as we integrate integrate

information technology into our neural circuitry?information technology into our neural circuitry?

III.III. Human EnhancementHuman EnhancementHow much are we willing to change our ways of thought, feeling, How much are we willing to change our ways of thought, feeling, and perceiving? and perceiving? How do we balance ideals of selfhood from ethics, religion, and How do we balance ideals of selfhood from ethics, religion, and cultural traditions cultural traditions with ideas of progress and individual liberty?with ideas of progress and individual liberty?

IV.IV. The Nature of Selfhood:The Nature of Selfhood:Will the new Will the new neurotechnologiesneurotechnologies threaten our current threaten our current conseptionsconseptions of selfhood, of selfhood,

relationship?relationship?

University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PennsylvaniaCenter for Bioethics Center for Bioethics •• School of MedicineSchool of Medicine

bioethics.upenn.edubioethics.upenn.edu (Penn)(Penn)

www.bioethics.net (AJOB)www.bioethics.net (AJOB)[email protected]@mail.med.upenn.edu