Gray Matters: Neuroethics in the Twenty-First Century

From its nineteenth century beginning until the late twentieth century, the advancing medical science of neurology strove to understand the brain and central nervous system and help those with often irreversible neuropathology. In the last 3 or 4 decades, neurology’s scope has widened to comprise the many clinical and ethical questions associated with neuroenhancement, neurodiversity, and the nature of creativity. Contributors to November’s issue grapple with prognosticating for severely impaired newborns, standardizing criteria for declaring brain death, the advent of “smart” pills, parents who decline treatment for a child with autism, and more. 

Volume 12, Number 11: 839-907 Full Issue PDF