Current projectReview

Neurotechnology in healthcare

Investigating the ethics of neurotechnologies that intervene in the brain. Call for evidence open until 3 February 2025.

More than a decade has passed since our 2013 report on novel neurotechnologies, where we set out possible benefits and unintended consequences of intervening in the brain.

Amidst great advances in technology we are now revisiting this area and reviewing how the landscape of neurotechnology use in healthcare has moved on.

We aim to reassess the ethical considerations at play and provide updated recommendations for those involved in the development, regulation, use and promotion of neurotechnologies.

Call for evidence

To inform this project we are currently running a call for evidence seeking expert opinions on a range of questions including the impacts that surgical implants, prostheses or devices in the can have for people and the current policies and guidance for healthcare professionals prescribing or implanting neurotechnologies.

We will carefully consider and analyse all responses to the call for evidence. A summary of insights will be published on our website, and the themes and issues identified will inform future stages of our work on neurotechnology.

The call for evidence is open from 17 October 2024 to 3 February 2025. Responses should be sent as an email attachment to mindandbrain@nuffieldbioethics.org.

Literature review

We commissioned a literature review to scope the neurotechnologies in use today and analyse the policy, legal and regulatory developments since 2013. The review was undertaken by Ilona Cenolli, an independent researcher with a background in neurotechnology research at Harvard Medical School, and was published in October 2024.