Neurotechnological cognitive enhancement has become an area of intense scientific, policy, and ethical interest. However, while work has increasingly focused on ethical views of the general public, less studied are those with personal connections to cognitive impairment. Using a mixed-methods design, we surveyed attitudes regarding implantable neurotechnological cognitive enhancement in individuals who self-identified as having increased likelihood of developing dementia (n = 25; ‘Our Study’), compared to a nationally representative sample of Americans (n = 4726; ‘Pew Study’). Participants in Our (...) Study were additionally shown four videos showcasing hypothetical neurotechnological devices designed to enhance different cognitive abilities and were interviewed for more in-depth responses. Both groups expressed comparable degrees of worry and acknowledgement of potential ethical ramifications (all _ps_ > _0.05_). Compared to the Pew Study, participants in Our Study expressed slightly higher desire (_p_. (shrink)

While the ethical significance of caregivers in neurological research has increasingly been recognized, the role of caregivers in brain- computer interface (BCI) research has received relatively less attention. Objectives: This report investigates the extent to which caregivers are mentioned in publications describing implantable BCI (iBCI) research for individuals with motor dysfunction, communication impairment, and blindness. Methods: The scoping review was conducted in June 2024 using the PubMed and Web of Science bibliographic databases. The articles were systematically searched using query terms (...) for caregivers, family members, and guardians, and the results were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed. Results: Our search yielded 315 unique studies, 78 of which were included in this scoping review. Thirty-four (43.6%) of the 78 articles mentioned the study participant’s caregivers. We sorted these into 5 categories: Twenty-two (64.7%) of the 34 articles thanked caregivers in the acknowledgement section, 6 (17.6%) articles described the caregiver’s role with regard to the consent process, 12 (35.3%) described the caregiver’s role in the technical maintenance and upkeep of the BCI system or in other procedural aspects of the study, 9 (26.5%) discussed how the BCI enhanced participant communication and goal-directed behavior with the help of a caregiver, and 3 (8.8%) articles included general comments that did not fit into the other categories but still related to the importance of caregivers in the lives of the research participants. Discussion: Caregivers were mentioned in less than half of BCI studies in this review. The studies that offered more robust discussions of caregivers provide valuable insight into the integral role that caregivers play in supporting the study participants and the research process. Attention to the role of caregivers in successful BCI research studies can help guide the responsible development of future BCI study protocols. (shrink)

While the ethical significance of caregivers in neurological research has increasingly been recognized, the role of caregivers in brain- computer interface (BCI) research has received relatively less attention. Objectives: This report investigates the extent to which caregivers are mentioned in publications describing implantable BCI (iBCI) research for individuals with motor dysfunction, communication impairment, and blindness. Methods: The scoping review was conducted in June 2024 using the PubMed and Web of Science bibliographic databases. The articles were systematically searched using query terms (...) for caregivers, family members, and guardians, and the results were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed. Results: Our search yielded 315 unique studies, 78 of which were included in this scoping review. Thirty-four (43.6%) of the 78 articles mentioned the study participant’s caregivers. We sorted these into 5 categories: Twenty-two (64.7%) of the 34 articles thanked caregivers in the acknowledgement section, 6 (17.6%) articles described the caregiver’s role with regard to the consent process, 12 (35.3%) described the caregiver’s role in the technical maintenance and upkeep of the BCI system or in other procedural aspects of the study, 9 (26.5%) discussed how the BCI enhanced participant communication and goal-directed behavior with the help of a caregiver, and 3 (8.8%) articles included general comments that did not fit into the other categories but still related to the importance of caregivers in the lives of the research participants. Discussion: Caregivers were mentioned in less than half of BCI studies in this review. The studies that offered more robust discussions of caregivers provide valuable insight into the integral role that caregivers play in supporting the study participants and the research process. Attention to the role of caregivers in successful BCI research studies can help guide the responsible development of future BCI study protocols. (shrink)