Intervening in the Brain

Prof. Dr. med. Jörg Michael Fegert, Arzt für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie/Psychotherapie, Arzt für Psychotherapeutische Medizin, Direktor der Klinik und Poliklinik für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie/Psychotherapie am Universitätsklinikum Ulm.

General Introduction.- General Introduction.- Techniques of Intervention.- Developmental Psychopharmacology.- Neurotransplantation and Gene Transfer.- Central Neural Prostheses.- Electrical Brain Stimulation for Psychiatric Disorders.- Societal, Ethical, and Legal Challenges.- Person, Personal Identity, and Personality.- Treatment - Prevention - Enhancement: Normative Foundations and Limits.- Conclusions and Recommendations.- Zusammenfassung.- Zusammenfassung.

From the reviews:

"Written jointly by the study group, this book provides the group's ethical, legal, and social analyses, as well as its recommendations for preliminary guidelines and further study. ... The authors do a commendable job of reviewing analyses by other scholars and recommendations by expert panels in several other countries ... . The authors have written thoughtful and though-provoking analyses of several important issues in neuroethics that deserve careful study by clinicians, scientists, philosophers, and policy-makers." (James L. Bernat, New England Journal of Medicine, November, 2007)

"This book undertakes to examine the expected outcomes of intentional interventions in the brain. ... The clear structure of the voluminous book allows to use it as a reference book ... . The entire book gives a sober analysis of the techniques at stake; the discussion of conceptual and ethical problems is written in a clear and structured way, helping readers to form their own opinions on brain interventions which are meant to enhance human beings." (Jan-Christoph Heilinger, Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, Vol. 10 (4), 2007)

"The authors undertake a comprehensive and advanced analysis of current and approaching neuro-interventions, as well as an extensive discussion of the moral and legal questions about these interventions. ... The book is directed at anyone with a background in neuroscience who is also interested in its ethical dimensions. ... The book is remarkably sophisticated both in terms of its scientific exposition and philosophical analysis, a combination that is rare." (Erica Rangel, Doody's Review Service, August, 2007)