Editorial. An ethical framework for deep brain stimulation in children

Ethical Issues in Deep Brain Stimulation

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is currently used to treat neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, and dystonia, and is explored as an experimental treatment for psychiatric disorders like major depression and obsessive compulsive disorder. This mini review discusses ethical issues in DBS treatment and research, as they have been discussed in the medical and ethical lite...

Editorial: The Clinical and Ethical Practice of Neuromodulation – Deep Brain Stimulation and Beyond

O10: Deep Brain Stimulation and Psychiatry

The use of deep brain stimulation in psychiatric disorders has received great interest owing to the small risk of the operation, the reversible nature of the technique, and the possibility of optimizing treatment postoperatively. Currently deep brain stimulation in psychiatry is investigated for obsessive-compulsive disorder, Gilles de la Tourette’s syndrome and major depression. This presentat...

Brain stimulation for treatment and enhancement in children: an ethical analysis

Davis (2014) called for "extreme caution" in the use of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) to treat neurological disorders in children, due to gaps in scientific knowledge. We are sympathetic to his position. However, we must also address the ethical implications of applying this technology to minors. Compensatory trade-offs associated with NIBS present a challenge to its use in children, in...

Title page Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinsonian patients – Ethical evaluation of stimulation-induced personality alterations

110 words) Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN DBS) has become an important option for treatment-resistant Parkinson’s disease. Although the beneficial effects of STN DBS on motor functions have been well described, complex affective and behavioral sequelae moved only recently in the focus of the medical and ethical discussion. We classify potential side-effects of STN DBS fo...