Neuroethics Working Group

What is Neuroethics?

  • Neuroethics is a field that studies the ethical, legal, and societal implications of neuroscience.
  • The strategic plan for the NIH BRAIN Initiative, BRAIN 2025: A Scientific Vision, emphasizes: “Although brain research entails ethical issues that are common to other areas of biomedical science, it entails special ethical considerations as well. Because the brain gives rise to consciousness, our innermost thoughts and our most basic human needs, mechanistic studies of the brain have already resulted in new social and ethical questions.” Neuroethics can help address these questions.

What is the NIH BRAIN Initiative’s Neuroethics Working Group (NEWG)?

  • The NEWG is a group of experts in neuroethics and neuroscience that serves to provide the NIH BRAIN Initiative with input relating to neuroethics. The group was formed in the summer of 2015. 
  • The NEWG is one part of the neuroethics efforts of the NIH BRAIN Initiative, which includes a multi-part strategy to achieve proactive, ongoing assessment and management of the neuroethical implications of the development and application of BRAIN-funded tools and neurotechnologies.  

What does the Neuroethics Working Group do?

  • Identify ethical challenges in the development and/or application of BRAIN Initiative-funded tools and technologies.
  • Anticipate ethical challenges in proposed areas of BRAIN Initiative funding. 
  • Provide input on ways The BRAIN Initiative® could navigate these neuroethics challenges.
  • Provide ethics consultation to researchers funded by The BRAIN Initiative®, when appropriate.
  • Identify neuroethics research questions important to The BRAIN Initiative® that could be addressed through focused Notices of Funding Opportunities   
  • Publish guidance on key ethical challenges associated with BRAIN Initiative-funded research.

Working Group Member List

Co-Chairs

Co-chair Nita Farahany, JD, PhD
Duke School of Law 

Co-chair Christine Grady, MSN, PhD
Chief, NIH Department of Bioethics

Members 

Winston Chiong, MD, PhD
University of California, San Francisco

James Eberwine, PhD
University of Pennsylvania (MCWG member)

L. Syd M Johnson, PhD;
SUNY Upstate Medical University

Caroline Montojo, PhD
The Dana Foundation 

Karen Rommelfanger, PhD
Emory University

Sameer Sheth, MD, PhD 
Baylor College of Medicine (MCWG member)

Designated Federal Official

Andrea Beckel-Mitchener, PhD
Deputy Director, NIH BRAIN Initiative

Science Committee Specialist

Nina Hsu, PhD 
Office of Neuroscience Communications and Engagement, Office of the Director, NINDS 

Neuroethics Consultant 

Saskia Hendriks, MD, PhD 
Office of Neuroscience Communications and Engagement, Office of the Director, NINDS; NIH Department of Bioethics 

Committee Specialist

Deborah Freaner 
Division of Extramural Activities, NINDS

 

Upcoming Meetings

  • The seventeenth meeting of the NEWG will be on Monday, February 12th, 2024. Videocast will be available for live viewing and later archived.

Workshops

Ethics of Sharing Individual Level Human Brain Data Collected in Biomedical Research (July 2023)

Ethical considerations tied to the sharing of human brain data may be different than sharing other kinds of biomedical data. Indeed, sharing human research data may involve potential risks to participants or communities. In order to put appropriate safeguards in place to manage potential risks of data sharing, a better understanding of what the risks are of sharing different types of human brain data is critical.

This workshop convened stakeholders from academia, government, industry, and nonprofit organizations, as well as patient advocates. The goals of this meeting were to (1) explore meaningful ways to categorize human brain data by potential risks of data sharing and (2) consider any resulting differences in how researchers should treat and use those data.

The workshop was organized by the NIH BRAIN Initiative.

Continuing Trial Responsibilities (May 2022)

Participants of implanted neural device trials may have research-related care needs after the trial has ended. While there is general agreement on shared responsibility to facilitate some of these needs, it remains unclear how to meet these needs in practice.

This workshop convened representatives from most stakeholders involved in implanted neural device trials for discussions on identifying research-related care needs; understanding what different stakeholders can/could provide; determining minimum research-related care needs and cases when stakeholders have additional responsibilities; and considering strategies for addressing insufficiently covered research-related care needs.

Goal: Propose potential solutions for defining and managing reasonable expectations around research-related care plans after a trial ends. 

The workshop was organized by the NIH BRAIN Initiative.

Research with Human Neural Tissue (March 2018)

Discussed the state of the science for research with ex vivo brain tissue and human brain organoids, and the ethical implications of this research. 

Goal: to discuss considerations for responsibly supporting these areas of science.

The workshop was organized by the NIH BRAIN Initiative.

Ethical Issues in Research with Invasive and Non-Invasive Neural Devices in Humans (October 2017) 

Considered ethical issues and practical approaches specific to research with invasive and non-invasive neural devices. After a brief overview of the state of the science with neural devices three specific ethical challenges were discussed: the analysis of risk and invasiveness, challenges in informed consent, and post-trial responsibilities.

Goal: to draft points to consider on these topics for investigators, IRB members, and BRAIN Initiative program officers, as well as to identify areas where more research and guidance is needed.

Organized by The NIH Clinical Center Department of Bioethics in association with the Neuroethics Working Group of the Multi-Council Working Group of the NIH BRAIN Initiative

Previous Meetings

The sixteenth meeting of the Neuroethics Working Group occurred virtually on Monday, August 28th, 2023.

The fifteenth meeting of the Neuroethics Working Group occurred virtually on Tuesday, January 24th, 2023.

The fourteenth meeting of the Neuroethics Working Group occurred virtually on Tuesday, August 23rd, 2022.  

The thirteenth meeting of the Neuroethics Working Group occurred virtually on Monday, January 24th, 2022. 

The twelfth meeting of the Neuroethics Working Group occurred virtually on on Thursday, August 19, 2021. 

The eleventh meeting of the Neuroethics Working Group occurred virtually on Tuesday, January 26, 2021.

The tenth meeting of the Neuroethics Working Group occurred virtually on Thursday, August 20, 2020.

The ninth meeting of the Neuroethics Working Group occurred on Thursday, January 30th  in Bethesda, MD.

The eighth meeting of the Neuroethics Working Group occurred on Monday, August 19th in Bethesda, MD.  

The seventh meeting of the Neuroethics Working Group occurred on Monday, February 11th in Bethesda, MD.  

The sixth meeting of the Neuroethics Working Group (formerly Neuroethics Division) occurred Monday, August 13th at the Porter Neuroscience Building on the NIH campus.

The fifth meeting of the MCWG Neuroethics Division occurred Friday, January 19th, 2018, and will be hosted by our co-chair Hank Greely at Stanford.

The fourth meeting of the MCWG Neuroethics Division occurred Wednesday, August 16th, 2017, in Building 31 6C/Room 6.

The third meeting of the MCWG Neuroethics Division occurred on Tuesday, February 14th, 2017, at the NIH Porter Neuroscience Research Center (35 Convent Dr., Bethesda, MD 20892).

The second meeting of the Neuroethics Division occurred on Wednesday, August 3rd, 2016, at 815 14th Street NW, Washington, DC.

The first meeting of the Neuroethics Division occurred on Tuesday, February 9th, 2016, at 6001 Executive Boulevard, Rockville, MD.