Ethical and Legal Issues in Deep Brain Stimulation: An Overview

As a treatment approved and certified for certain neurological diseases, deep brain stimulation (DBS) sometimes produces spectacular results quickly. It is also a powerful research tool in neurology and psychiatry. It combines a highly technical surgical procedure with a complex active medical device that acts on the brain, the substratum of human thought and identity. It raises several ethical and legal questions. Some are not specific, and can be solved by applying the principles of medical ethics and law. Others appear to be more DBS-specific. Some arise from the intrication of research and treatment in its development, and from the need to tune the device. Some are related to its effectiveness and its occasional harmful side effects (including potential applications beyond the field of health care).