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High-definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex to Enhance Metacognitive Sensitivity

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How cognitive enhancement can change our duties.

Filippo Santoni de Sio¹, Nadira Faulmüller², Nicole A Vincent³

¹Department Values, Technology and Innovation, Faculty Technology, Policy and Management, Delft University of Technology Delft, Netherlands.

Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience

|August 8, 2014

Summary

Pharmacological cognitive enhancement could create new legal duties for high-responsibility professionals. This paper explores the societal and legal implications of safe and effective mental performance-enhancing drugs.

Keywords:

cognitive enhancement ethics law mental capacity methylphenidate modafinil neuroenhancement professional duties

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Ethics
Law

Background:

Pharmacological cognitive enhancement (PCE) offers potential benefits for mental performance.
The development of safe and effective PCE techniques is a growing area of research.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine the societal and legal ramifications of potential future pharmacological cognitive enhancers.
To stimulate discussion among scientists and the public regarding the ethical considerations of PCE.

Main Methods:

Theoretical analysis of potential societal and legal impacts.
Exploration of ethical considerations in professional responsibility.

Main Results:

Future PCE could impose new duties on professionals in high-risk fields.
Ethical frameworks may need to adapt to the use of cognitive enhancers.

Conclusions:

The advent of PCE necessitates proactive consideration of its legal and ethical consequences.
Interdisciplinary dialogue is crucial to navigate the societal integration of cognitive enhancement technologies.