The ethical and saftey issues of memory-improving drugs or brain-enhancing implants were recently debated at a meeting of neuroscientists, ethicists and psychologists.

For example, there have been no studies that establish the long-term effects of brain function in children who take Ritalin to control hyperactivity or in people who take medication for depression. It could be that drugs alter the way the brain works, fundamentally changing personality. The drugs may even have unanticipated consequences such as speeding the brain’s decline with old age.

In addition to drugs, modern brain imaging techniques may reveal aspects of personality such as a tendency to lie or be aggressive, said Judy Illes, senior research scholar in biomedical ethics and in radiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. “As the technology improves, doctors must decide who should have access to this information and whether they should treat a neural tendency rather than an actual behavior.”

Stanford University Medical Center news release