Transcript Diapositiva 1 - Neuromedia corner

brain imaging
by neuromedia corner – www.neuromedia.eu
What is brain imaging?
In research and clinical practice brain imaging (BI)
technologies are playing a role more and more
important for understanding the relationships
between specific areas of the brain and their
function, helping to locate the areas of the brain
that are affected by neurological disorders, to
identify neurological lesions and tumors and building
new strategies for diagnosis and treatment.
We can indentify two big categories
1. structural imaging
We can indentify two big categories
1. structural imaging
2. functional imaging
Examples of brain imaging techiniques:
•Computed Tomography(CT)
•Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
•Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
•Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
•Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography(SPECT)
•Magnetoencephalography (MEG)
Thousands of papers using neuroimaging methods are published every year.
Those studies are vital to help us to understand how the brain works and
open new doors towards brain disease diagnosis and treatment.
BUT
While some of those studies find a great echo in the media, the public and
even scientists are still uncertain about the potential applications of those
techniques. Ethical, social and legal issues related to those applications are
emerging, together with questions about the real meaning of results
obtained.
In this presentation we will ask the most important questions arising
from the public and scientific debate on brain imaging to a group of
experts, the same who participated to the first bid’s workshop,
organized in Cambridge in March 2009 by bid - brains in dialogue
project.
Focusing our attention on one of the most promising and discussed
uses of brain imaging techniques, the one in psychiatric conditions, we
will explore some uses of BI as well as the emerging ethical, social
and legal implications.
What does the blobs mean?
Usually, expecially by media, results of the brain imaging studies are presented to public in form of brain images
coloured with “blobs”. But many scientists are critic. In their opinion media communication frequently doesn’t take in
the right account the enormous complexity of data acquisition and image processing. While in brain research and in
clinical practice, brain imaging techniques are becoming a tool more and more important, the need to pinpoint the
major benefits and limits of these tecnhiques is emerging.
Summarizing, the questions are:
What does the blobs mean? What are the most
important benefits and limits of these
techniques? Are mass media responsible for a
sort of misunderstandig around BI Techniques
and their potentialities?
Jonathan Roiser, from University College London, UK,
answers to these questions
What neuroimaging still cannot do
Brain Imaging techniques and their applications are quite recent, although from a theoretical point a view the origins can be
identified at the end of 18° century and beginnin of 19°, when people thought to localize the brain functions thanks to phrenology.
Phrenology stated that the personality traits of a person can be derived from the shape of the skull.
With BI researchers seeks INSIDE the skull, but the approach, looking at media communication, seems to be the same. Moreover,
negleting the BI limitations, well-known among experts, some new applications are promoted. The most fascinating is related to lie
detection. Looking at the brain functions will we be able to detects lies and discover a liar?
Summarizing, the questions are:
What is the historical origin of brain imaging?
What are its actual limitations? Can we detect
lies with BI? How do the media communicate
bi techniques and applications?
In the next interview Stephan Schleim from University Clinics
Bonn, Germany, will answer to these questions
BI in clinical practice
Exploring the BI use we must remember its important applications in clinical practice. Bi is commonly used clinical practice
for diagnosis of lesions and tumors. While technology advances promise to improve accuracy and their field of application a
great carfullness must be applied in their clinical use.
We interviewed Daniela Seixas, neuroradiologist at São João hospital, Porto, Portugal to further explore benefits and
limitations of BI in clinical practice as well as the expectations and perspectives related to their use.
What are the advantages/disadvantages of using
brain imaging in clinical practice? What's your
experience with patients and families approaching
the technology?
How do we cope with expectations and frustrations
related to the use of brain imaging? What are the
future perspectives for brain imaging in the clinical
practice?
BI and Alzheimer disease diagnosis
BI can be used in the early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases as Alzheimer.
In the next interview Roberto Cappa, from Università Vita-Salute, Milan, Italy, introduce us to the use of those techniques in this
field, enlarging the discussion to the ethical, social and legal implications of BI use.
What are the major issues of using brain
imaging?
Is it worth to have an early diagnosis of
Alzheimer's Disease?
Can you tell us more on the common
drawbacks of not having a diagnosis of
Alzheimer disease?
Do we need to use brain imaging on healthy
people?
Neuroscience between psychiatry and the law
The use of brain imaging in courts as evidence is more than a future possibility. The ethic debate on these applications is open since
functional activities in individual brains linked to antisocial behaviour should become identificable and concepts as liability or
responsability broadly subverted. But does BI allow us to associate the human behaviour to a physical brain operation? Will BI
change the legal notion of liability or responsability? In the near future, will BI be really used in courts as evidence?
Does neuroscience change the game between psychiatry and the
law? What is the game, then?
Do you think that brain imaging devices will be used in courts as
evidence in the near future?
Do you think that BI techniques will be able to change the legal
notion of liability or responsibility?
Do you think that neuroscience and brain imaging will offer any
chance of treatment for guilty people?
Italian judge Amedeo Santosuosso answers to those questions:
The future: regulating brain imaging?
“Regolatory questions are emerging from the quick development of BI technologies. One set of questions concerns the right kind of
regulatory environment that need to be put in place to control the clinical o commercial use of these technologies; and the other set
concerns the implications of these tecnologies being used by the State as part of its regluatory apparatus” wrote Roger Brownsword
from the King’s College London, UK.
But is regulating brain imaging a different thing with respect
to othertechnologies? Should we regulate the communication
of this technology?
Could we depict a worst case scenario for the use of brain
imaging?
Roger Brownsword answers to these questions.
The patient point of view
In the debate on BI applications it is fundamental to take in consideration the perspective of patients and research subjects.
In this interview we present Janey Antoniou’s experience, freelance, adviser and researcher in the mental health area,
London.
Can you tell us your personal experience with brain imaging?
Have you ever seen your brain images? Do you see possible
psychological effects of using brain imaging on patients with
mental health problems? Would you agree that everybody
should have a scan?