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By Peter Reiner Dr. Reiner is Professor and co-founder of the  National Core for Neuroethics  at the University of British Columbia where he is a member of the  Department of Psychiatry  and the  Centre for Brain Health . Dr. Reiner began his research career studying the cellular and molecular physiology of the brain, with particular interests in the neurobiology of behavioural states and the molecular underpinnings of neurodegenerative disease. In 1998, Dr. Reiner became President and CEO of Active Pass Pharmaceuticals, a drug discovery company that he founded to tackle the scourge of Alzheimer's disease. Upon returning to academic life in 2004, Dr. Reiner refocused his scholarly work in the area of neuroethics, co-founding the National Core for Neuroethics with Dr. Judy Illes in 2007. Dr. Reiner has championed quantitative analysis of public attitudes towards diverse issues in neuroethics including the propriety of cognitive and moral enhancement, the contours...

During the weekend of September 12 th , Georgia State University was home to fascinating conversations between prominent lawyers, neuroscientists, philosophers, and psychologists. The challenging, thought-provoking, and interdisciplinary nature of this forum was condensed within its title: Neurointerventions and the Law: Regulating Human Mental Capacity . Image from AJOB Neuroscience Organized by the Atlanta Neuroethics Consortium (ANEC), the conference sought debate on the legal implications of using modern neuro-interventions. Some of the questions that were raised included, but were not limited to: What mental capacities does one need in order to be eligible for trial? For punishment? For release? For cognitive enhancement? What policies should be in place to control such neuro-interventions? What are the current neuro-interventions used in the courts, and how are they regulated? How should we view the relationship between mental capacity and both moral and legal responsibility?...

By Hannah Maslen, DPhil and Julian Savulescu, PhD Hannah Maslen is based at the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford .  Julian Savulescu is Uehiro Professor of Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford, Fellow of St Cross College, Oxford and the Director of the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics . He is also a member of the AJOB Neuroscience editorial board. Novel neurotechnologies Last week, Nuffield Council on Bioethics released its report entitled  Novel neurotechnologies: intervening in the brain . The aim of the report is to provide a reflective assessment of the ethical and social issues raised by the development and use of new brain intervention technologies. The technologies that the report examines include transcranial brain stimulation, deep brain stimulation, brain-computer interfaces and neural stem cell therapies. Having constructed and defended an ethical framework to navigate the ethical and social concerns raised by novel neurotechnologies, ...