User:Cffisac/Neurotechnology

By editing Neurotechnology, my goal is to make a high-level article that gives readers an overall grasp of the main concepts required to understand what neurotechnologies are and that neatly ties together comprehensive articles about specific branches of neurotechnology.

Room for improvement

 * structure
 * incompleteness (little balance from some neurotechnologies to others)
 * insufficient evidence
 * expand and add balance/neutrality to ethics section (currently contains argumentative warning)
 * shed light on citation sections (footnotes vs references)

General re-structuring

 * background overview
 * history? recent developments?
 * neurotechnology properties & classification
 * invasive vs non-invasive
 * target (central vs peripheral nervous system)
 * scale (individual neurons vs "the brain")
 * recording vs stimulation
 * recording: anatomical/structural vs functional
 * stimulation: electrical vs optical vs pharmacological (vs acoustic?)
 * uses/applications
 * as therapeutic solutions
 * neural prostheses
 * as research tools
 * augmentation/transhumanism (they at least deserve a mention)
 * ethical implications of neurotechnology
 * existing concerns
 * existing initiatives/platforms aimed at the development of safe & ethical neurotechnologies

Notions to link

 * Neurotech-relevant articles: Neural engineering, Brain–computer interface, Brain implant, Cortical implant, Neuroprosthetics, Neuroimaging, Neurostimulation, Neuromodulation (medicine)
 * SciPol-relevant topics: Neuroethics, Neurolaw, Neurosecurity, Neuromarketing, Cognitive liberty, Neuroscience of free will, Privacy law, Bodily integrity
 * Other high-level articles that could also be included: Neuroenhancement, Bioconservatism, Ethics of technology, BRAIN Initiative, Human Brain Project, Neuroscience, Computational neuroscience, Neural encoding & decoding

Language revision

 * replace ADD (old notation!) for ADHD, and update linked article (should be ADHD, not ADHD predominantly inattentive)
 * brain function rather than brain's activities
 * Note to self:
 * While manipulate is the preferred scientific term (e.g. manipulate brain activity), reading the Neurotechnology Talk page one can plainly see that non-expert readers may easily associate this wording with vileness/dishonesty. Instead, one should use less loaded terms like impact, affect, regulate, alter, change, modify, shape, adjust... Could add a note to the text, something like:
 * Note: Although the term manipulation is often used in technical writing as a synonym of modulation, it is rarely used outside the field due to the negative connotations the term can have in informal speech.

Background

 * the field has definitely NOT "reached maturity"!
 * gained widespread traction, maybe
 * evidence for neurotechnology being ubiquitous, concrete examples of neurotechnologies
 * remove unsupported predictions or add citations to support them
 * more evidence & less vague statements
 * "Currently, modern science can image nearly all aspects of the brain as well as control a degree of the function of the brain." Say, what?
 * add citations for therapeutical uses

Types

 * replace by a more general classification
 * provide examples, perhaps with shorter descriptions

Ethical considerations

 * continue adding material (I have only tackled identity & agency so far)

= Carmen's draft of edits to Neurotechnology, heck yes! =

Classification
Neurotechnologies can be broken down based on a range of criteria, from their level of invasiveness to their target within the nervous system, highlighting the properties that they share or in which they differ from each other.

Invasiveness
In medicine, invasive procedures are those in which ...

Non-invasive, minimally invasive, or invasive.

Example of non-invasive neuromuscular-machine interface on this 2021 citation

Scale
From individual neurons to specific nerves to brain areas to the brain and the entire nervous system...

Form of interaction
Neurotechnologies can work by either taking measurements from the nervous system or exerting changes on it. A device can also perform both and tailor the level of stimulation provided depending on the recordings obtained: this is known as a closed-loop feedback system.

Recording
Measuring neural activity...

Determining factors include temporal and spatial resolution of the measurements taken.

Modulation
Modification of the nervous system and its activity is often referred to as neural modulation. from : "“writing” is a metaphorical term to describe the many ways that electrical activity can be precisely delivered to the brain to specify particular outcomes", "create, for instance, behavioral responses that suggest a specific visual experience was delivered even in the absence of actual visual content"

Typically in the form of stimulation or silencing of neural activity

In a closed-loop setting, the device would adjust modulation as a function of the recorded neural signals.

In an open-loop system, the

Privacy
Two separate issues to examine privacy in the context of neurotechnology

Data privacy -> intimate (health-related), relative privacy were it not for neurotechnologies!, consent to use/share/sale, unauthorized access (data breach risks)

Cognitive liberty
Copied straight from the wikipedia article on cognitive liberty: "Cognitive liberty, or the 'right to mental self-determination', is the freedom of an individual to control their own mental processes, cognition, and consciousness. It has been argued to be both an extension of, and the principle underlying, the right to freedom of thought."

Neuroenhacement
The augmentation of abilities through ____ is known as neuroenhancement.

Equitable access
As with other disruptive technologies, access may determine socioeconomic outcomes...

Freedom from bias
Facing biases, factors to take into account or issues to factor in:
 * medical research
 * antiracism in neuroscience:
 * neurodiversity:
 * book
 * chapter

Appropriate (sub)sections should include "Main"/"Broader"/"See also"/"Further" templates like:
 * data bias against women
 * freedom from bias

Format example:

= Copied from Neurotechnology: = What was copied over and when:


 * copied on 6 Oct 2021: lead & background sections
 * copied on 7 Oct 2021: ethics & see also sections
 * removed on 8 Nov 2021: all previously copied sections
 * copied on _____: planning to copy over ethical considerations section after drafted here & transfered to article to maintaining reference changes
 * copied on _____: planning to copy over background section to work on it next

***** copied material will be here*****