The evolution of brain imaging has caused large amounts of research in neuroethics to emerge. An example of this is regarding the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Questions that have been and are still being asked include, What do we do when anatomical abnormalities or signs of disease are revealed in the course of scanning?. The overarching ethical question in relation to MRIs is what should researchers do if this takes place, and should participants have the choice not to be informed of the findings? Another issue in the world of neuroethics is the use of predictive and diagnostic imaging for progressive diseases such as Alzheimers disease. This type of testing is important for the creation of treatments for these diseases. When thinking about the ethical implications of this type of imaging, we must contemplate the benefits of knowledge with the burden this knowledge can bring. Other imaging methods such as PET scans have aided in the vast broadening of cognitive neuroscience. These types of imaging have shown that human functions such as cognition, emotion, joy, love, and fear are localizable in the brain. Recent brain imaging research has focused on analyzing results of trials and studying individual differences in brain activity. In past decades, there have been different focuses in imaging, but since 2000, imaging has been used for other purposes such as studying individual differences in personality and how it is shown in the brain. Other measurable traits include attitudes, tendency towards violence, personality, and abilities. An example of this is, the more aggressive someones behavior is, the higher the activation of the left amygdala is to angry faces. Most people have heard of lie detector testing; there is an
other way to know whether or not someone is lying using a functional MRI (fMRI) to test brain activity. An additional use of brain imaging is for neuromarketing. This can be useful in knowing how people respond to products, as well as the emotions and motivations of consumers. There have been ethical questions surrounding the privacy of brain imaging. This is due to the fact that in a sense, it can tell researchers about your thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, and traits without giving a behavioral response. A general misunderstanding of neuroimaging poses a greater ethical challenge than the issue of mental privacy. This is valid in that protecting citizens is important; however, these imaging methods do not pose a threat to the participants.
Another area that has raised neuroethical awareness recently is brain enhancement. This can be described as interventions that make normal, healthy brains better. Brain enhancement contrasts with the treatment of patients with unhealthy or dysfunctional brains. In more recent years, people have started to utilize what was once used as clinal treatment to improve their lifestyles. One significant concern is that drugs made for long term psychological use provide profit motives to pharmaceutical companies. Therefore, the shift from only clinical use to use by healthy people will benefit these pharmaceutical companies. Safety is another ethical concern regarding brain enhancement. Most people believe that it is more important to restore a sick persons health than it is to make an already healthy person better. Though there is not a lot of knowledge regarding the long-term safety of enhancement, there is also minimal knowledge about the long-term effects of many treatments for neuropsychiatric issues.