[Non-medical applications for brain MRI: Ethical considerations]

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Bioethics
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Neuroimaging techniques are vital for understanding cognitive processes in mental disorders.
• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) applications extend beyond medical research into non-medical fields.
• These novel applications introduce significant bioethical challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss emerging ethical issues from applying advanced neuroimaging technologies in non-medical domains.
• To explore the implications of neuroimaging in marketing, forensic psychiatry, and brain-reading technologies.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of peer-reviewed articles from PubMed and Google Scholar (2000-2013).
• Screening of bibliographical references and French governmental reports on ethical issues.
• Analysis of current French legislation and technical limitations of neuroimaging.

Main Results:

• Neuroimaging is used in neuromarketing for understanding emotional responses.
• Brain imaging findings influence forensic psychiatry, sometimes with unproven validity.
• Brain-reading techniques aim to predict unconscious processes, raising privacy concerns.

Conclusions:

• Neuroimaging holds potential for psychiatric diagnostics and predictions.
• Non-scientific applications of neuroimaging necessitate careful ethical consideration.
• Broad public and professional engagement is essential to prevent unregulated neuroimaging use.