Research
Basic human neuroscience research
Patients with implanted neural devices offer researchers a unique opportunity to study the basic workings of the human brain. This is made possible through patients who are undergoing epilepsy monitoring or the surgical implantation of a deep brain stimulation device, patients with chronic brain implants like RNS systems, and patients participating in brain-machine interface studies to develop new neurotechnology. Should we utilize these opportunities to answer scientific questions about the brain and what’s at stake when we do? How do patients think about their contribution and participation in these studies, which offer them no therapeutic benefits? Our lab focuses on how these special research contexts push us to rethink consent, trust, and the values that patients and investigators attach to basic science research.
Ethics of visual cortical prosthetic devices
Recent advances in neurotechnology have allowed researchers to develop visual cortical prosthetic devices with the aim of offering artificial vision to patients with acquired blindness. Our lab interviews and engages with current participants of the Orion trial, as well as members of various blind communities, to better understand the ethical implications of developing this technology. What risks are permissible when developing this technology, and what kinds of functionality would be meaningful? More generally, how could this research be informed by a disability justice framework and designed to best promote the values of the blind community?