Ethics

Applying medical science and technology to the human brain

. 2 MIN READ

The wonder evoked by the term “brain surgery” is well-deserved, but technological advances are expanding the scope and reach of neurosurgery, challenging the line between treatment and enhancement. The January issue of the AMA’s online ethics journal considers this issue from a variety of angles.

Neurosurgery is among the newest of surgical disciplines, and among the most fraught with ethical dilemma. Neurosurgical ethics involves the challenges of manipulating the anatomical center of human identity and the concerns of surgeons and patients who find themselves bound together in that venture.

Contributors to this month’s issue of Virtual Mentor explore current and possible neurosurgical interventions and offer guidance for decision-making under conditions of clinical and ethical uncertainty.

Articles in this issue include:

Don’t forget to participate in this month’s ethics poll and listen to the latest podcast.

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