Research Ethics of Brain Pioneers:

A Case Study of Brain-Computer Interfaces

Abstract

    Brain pioneers are heroes who venture into the frontier of neuroscience research. This paper focuses on the research and development of invasive brain-computer interfaces, examining the ethical dimensions of participation by three distinct types of brain pioneers: patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, healthy volunteers, and researchers themselves. A phenomenon of moral entanglement is identified as a common thread across these three types, which acts to distort authentic informed consent. To address biases in risk perception, third-party research ethics committees should serve as appropriate gatekeepers, ensuring adequate protection of research participants through continuous monitoring.