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fMRI in the public eye

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 6, pages 159–164 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

The wide dissemination and expanding applications of functional MRI have not escaped the attention of the media or discussion in the wider public arena. From the bench to the bedside, this technology has introduced substantial ethical challenges. Are the boundaries of what it can and cannot achieve being communicated to the public? Are its limitations understood? And given the complexities that are inherent to neuroscience, are current avenues for communication adequate?

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Figure 1: Composition of the sample of articles returned to a search of print media coverage (general and specialized sources combined) of fMRI from January 1991 to June 2004.
Figure 2: Unidirectional communication in neuroscience.
Figure 3: Multidirectional communication in neuroscience.

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Acknowledgements

Supported by The Greenwall Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (J.I.) and an FQRSC postdoctoral fellowship to E.R. The authors extend their thanks to C. Jennings for inspiring this project and to S. W. Atlas, T. A. Raffin, P. Schraedley Desmond and M. Gallo.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, 701 Welch Road, Building A, Suite 1105, Palo Alto, 94304-5748, California, USA

    Eric Racine, Ofek Bar-Ilan & Judy Illes

  2. the Dominican University of California, 50 Acacia Avenue, San Rafael, 94901, California, USA

    Ofek Bar-Ilan

  3. the Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, 94305-5105, California, USA

    Judy Illes

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  1. Eric Racine
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  3. Judy Illes
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Correspondence to Judy Illes.

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FURTHER INFORMATION

Society for Neuroscience Guide to Public Advocacy

International Bioethics Committee of UNESCO (Article 6)

Quebec Network of Applied Genetic Medicine

Danish Board of Technology

Dana Centre

President's Council on Bioethics

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Racine, E., Bar-Ilan, O. & Illes, J. fMRI in the public eye. Nat Rev Neurosci 6, 159–164 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1609

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