Page - 64 - in Cyborg Mind - What Brain–Computer and Mind–Cyberspace Interfaces Mean for Cyberneuroethics

64 • Cyborg Mind 1. DBS is an implantable system that is foreign to the brain and that can be switched on and off  – in this respect, the device can be used to study changes to the sense of identity of a person; 2. there may be a difference between the identity change noted by the patient and the persons in contact with him or her  – this is because the patient may still consider that he or she is the same person, while others may believe he or she has become a different person. Therefore, serious questions are still being asked about the use of DBS in certain circumstances.60 But this has not stopped new possible, non-clinical neuro-enhancing applications of the procedure to be considered, though further investigations relating to its efficacy and ethics would be necessary.61 This all means that ethical and legal questions with DBS are very real. These include questions surrounding the context of autonomy, accountabil- ity as well as liability, and whether it should be possible to use DBS for non- medical reasons.62 Fibre-Optic Cable Light-Sensitive Neurons Another new, though still very much experimental, procedure enabling scientists to study brain functions uses genetically engineered neurons in rodents, which are light-sensitive. When these are then exposed to blue light delivered by a fibre-optic cable, the neurons are triggered to transmit a signal to cells downstream in the neural circuit. Thus, by making specific groups of neurons fire at will, it is possible to study specific connections in the brains of the rodents.63 However, no applications of this technology are, as yet, being considered for human beings. Noninvasive Input Neuronal Interface Systems Transcranial Brain Stimulation (TBS) Though some forms of brain stimulation such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), in which seizures are electrically induced in patients when seeking to provide relief from psychiatric disorders, have been used since the 1930s, these will not be discussed in the following study since they do not have any further applications in neuronal interfaces. But one group of appliances that is increasingly being considered is Transcranial Brain Stimulation (TBS). This refers to a set of noninvasive applications that stimulate the brain either by inducing an electrical field using a magnetic coil placed against the head in transcranial magnetic stimu- lation (TMS) or by applying weak electrical currents via electrodes on the This open access edition has been made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license thanks to the support of Knowledge Unlatched. Not for resale.