Neurotechnology Governance in the United States: Gaps and Opportunities
Neuroscience's accelerating advances have reached a pivotal point in the study of the human brain, including neurotechnologies capable of recording large amounts of data and acting with greater precision. However, the use of neurotechnology has raised a number of ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI). To that end, sufficiently robust policy and governance structures must be considered. To date, no published review of United States policies governing neuroscience and neurotechnology exists. To address this, we review US polices and various ethical frameworks overseeing neuroscience and neurotechnology. This policy review highlights where gaps in neuroscience and neurotechnology policy and governance might exist. Overall, our review shows that "soft policies" make up the present-day US neurotech-governance universe at the federal level, with neurodata specific state-legislation emerging. The included analysis can aid researchers, technology developers, neuroethicists, research ethicists, legal scholars, and others in facilitating ethically and socially responsible implementation of neuroscience and neurotechnology as they move from "bench to bedside and beyond."
Authors
- Michele Mekel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0710-6145)
- Megan S. Wright (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2033-6317)
- Laura Y. Cabrera (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6220-7096)
- Jennifer B. McCormick (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2008-8180)
- Jennifer K. Wagner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2278-0306)
- Nia Evereteze
- Emily G. Shank
Institutions
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- Cornell University (US)
- Northeastern University London (GB)
- Yale University (US)
- Cal Humanities (US)
- Institute of Medical Ethics (GB)
- Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Bioethics
- Published
- 2025-11-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1111/bioe.70062
- Primary Topic
- Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- U.S. Department of Defense
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- Pennsylvania State University
- National Institutes of Health
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
- Advanced Research Projects Agency
- Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
- National Institute on Aging
- National Institute of Mental Health
- National Institute on Drug Abuse
- National Eye Institute
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health