Abstracts and biosketches BCN Symposium 2017: Plenary Session - afternoon

Debate: The Ethics in Neuromodulation

Dr. Dennis Schutter
Donders Institute for Cognition
Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands

Dr. Dennis J.L.G. Schutter is associate professor at the Radboud University and principal investigator at the Donders Institute in Nijmegen. His research group studies the role of the cerebellum and cerebral cortex in emotion and cognitive regulation, and explores the applications of non-invasive brain stimulation to improve cognitive performance and mood.

Transcranial DC stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive tool used to modulate neural activity and behavior. In this presentation, the scientific evidence for the effectiveness of tDCS in improving cognitive functions and treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) will be addressed. Results show positive but small effects of tDCS on cognitive performance of healthy volunteers. Effects of tDCS for the treatment of MDD are promising, but are based on a relative small number of patients. Issues concerning the mechanisms of action of tDCS lead to considerable individual variation and currently limit the practical and therapeutic use of tDCS.

Institute for Medical Education
University of Groningen, the Netherlands

Dr. Els Maeckelberghe is a senior university lecturer in ethics at the University Medical Center Groningen with a focus on research ethics, scientific integrity, and health care ethics. Her research projects are about implementing moral knowledge in health care practices and guidelines (pediatric euthanasia,  pediatric medical research, big data, technological innovations). She is vice-president of the Section Ethics in Public Health of EUPHA (European Public Health Association), member of several medical research ethics committees, and member of the Regional Euthanasia Review Board in the Netherlands. More about her: http://www.rug.nl/staff/e.l.m.maeckelberghe/