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Emergent Neurotechnologies And Challenges To Responsibility Frameworks, Laura Cabrera, Jennifer Carter-Johnson

Akron Law Review

This article examines the emerging medical technology of deep brain stimulation (DBS), a type of brain implant, to determine its ethical and legal ramifications. Lawyers, philosophers, and ethicists have labored to define the conditions under which individuals are to be judged legally and morally responsible for their actions. But where does responsibility lie if a person acts under the influence of her brain implant? Do we hold the individual solely responsible for her actions? Can we attribute any blame to the device? What about the engineers who designed it, or the manufacturer? The neurosurgeon who implanted it, or the neurologist …