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Artificial Intelligence in Brain and Mental Health: Philosophical, Ethical & Policy Issues pp 217–231Cite as

Does Closed-Loop DBS for Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders Raise Salient Authenticity Concerns?

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Part of the Advances in Neuroethics book series (AIN)

Abstract

Despite the success of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for treatment of neurological disorders, future success depends on creating improved systems that rely on artificial intelligence. Where the current deep brain stimulation systems are open-loop—applying a constant or intermittent electrical current to the brain—the new generation of DBS devices will utilize artificial intelligence technologies, such as machine learning algorithms, to facilitate closed-loop implants that are adaptive and continuously modified by neural feedback. Closed-loop DBS devices read neural data, interpret the signals to make a clinical decision, and stimulate the brain dynamically. This process occurs continuously and without active input from users or clinicians, allowing for far fewer adjustments and improving treatment specificity. This raises concerns about whether these devices threaten a user’s ability to live an authentic life. While some of these concerns have been raised in the context of open-loop DBS, we argue that closed-loop devices introduce new worries that need to be examined. Failure to develop ethical guidance for this unique setting may lead to user harm and a lack of acceptance of new devices.

Keywords

  • Deep brain stimulation
  • Authenticity
  • Psychiatric disorders
  • Neurological disorders
  • Agency
  • Closed-loop
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Machine learning
  • Identity
  • Bioethics
  • Neuroethics

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  • DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-74188-4_14
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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Philosophy, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Ishan Dasgupta, Andreas Schönau, Timothy Brown, Eran Klein & Sara Goering

  2. Center for Neurotechnology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Ishan Dasgupta, Andreas Schönau, Timothy Brown, Eran Klein & Sara Goering

  3. Department of Neurology, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR, USA

    Eran Klein

Authors
  1. Ishan Dasgupta
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  2. Andreas Schönau
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  3. Timothy Brown
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  4. Eran Klein
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  5. Sara Goering
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Correspondence to Ishan Dasgupta .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Medical College of Wisconsin, Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    Prof. Fabrice Jotterand

  2. Department of Health Sciences and Technology, EPFL CDH-DIR, ERANET-NEURON Group Leader, Zürich, Switzerland

    Dr. Marcello Ienca

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Dasgupta, I., Schönau, A., Brown, T., Klein, E., Goering, S. (2021). Does Closed-Loop DBS for Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders Raise Salient Authenticity Concerns?. In: Jotterand, F., Ienca, M. (eds) Artificial Intelligence in Brain and Mental Health: Philosophical, Ethical & Policy Issues. Advances in Neuroethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74188-4_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74188-4_14

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