•  232
    Recent results from neuroimaging appear to indicate that some patients in a vegetative state have partially intact awareness. These results may demonstrate misdiagnosis and suggest the need not only for alternative forms of treatment, but also for the reconsideration of end-of-life decisions in cases of disorders of consciousness. This article addresses the second consequence. First, I will discuss which aspects of consciousness may be involved in neuroimaging findings. I will then consider vari…Read more
  •  70
    Brain-computer interfaces and personhood: interdisciplinary deliberations on neural technology
    with Matthew Sample, Marjorie Aunos, Stefanie Blain-Moraes, Christoph Bublitz, Jennifer Chandler, Tiago H. Falk, Deanna Groetzinger, Ralf J. Jox, and Johannes Koegel
    Journal of Neural Engineering 16 (6). 2019.
    Scientists, engineers, and healthcare professionals are currently developing a variety of new devices under the category of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). Current and future applications are both medical/assistive (e.g., for communication) and non-medical (e.g., for gaming). This array of possibilities comes with ethical challenges for all stakeholders. As a result, BCIs have been an object of both hope and concern in various media. We argue that these conflicting sentiments can be productive…Read more
  •  25
    Principle-based structured case discussions: do they foster moral competence in medical students? - A pilot study
    with Kay Hemmerling, Katja Kuehlmeyer, Stefanie Nörtemann, Martin Fischer, and Georg Marckmann
    BMC Medical Ethics 18 (1): 21. 2017.
    Recent findings suggest that medical students’ moral competence decreases throughout medical school. This pilot study gives preliminary insights into the effects of two educational interventions in ethics classes on moral competence among medical students in Munich, Germany. Between 2012 and 2013, medical students were tested using Lind’s Moral Competence Test prior to and after completing different ethics classes. The experimental group participated in principle-based structured case discussion…Read more
  •  22
    Autonomie als Rechtfertigungsgrund psychiatrischer Therapien
    with Pd Dr Jan-Hendrik Heinrichs
    Ethik in der Medizin 26 (4). 2014.
  •  21
    Research with psychiatric patients raises frequently discussed, ethical questions, one of which is: Can psychiatric patients give consent to participation in research at all? To answer this and similar questions adequately, it is - according to our thesis - necessary to analyze first, which theoretical assumptions are made in established practice. To solve the question after the possibility of consent, compatible understandings of ‘disease’, ‘illness’ and ‘autonomy’ are crucial, but there is no …Read more