Neuromodulation and Opioid Use Disorder: Ethical Opportunities for Canada.

Despite increased efforts of government and non-government organisations to intervene via harm reduction and education initiatives, the opioid crisis has continued to worsen and has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In British Columbia, Canada, opioid overdose deaths in 2021 are the highest ever recorded. Neuromodulation procedures such as deep brain stimulation and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation have gained traction as treatments for opioid use disorder in various countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, the United States and China. However, these treatment options have been met with apprehension from both clinicians and patients, likely owing to fear, stigma and reluctance to label addiction as a brain disorder. Further complicating this landscape are socio-demographic factors, as marginalised communities are disproportionately burdened by addiction, while having poor access to care and a history of distrust in the health system. This multifactorial challenge involving many sociocultural factors requires culturally sensitive, interdisciplinary approaches to ensure direct-to-brain innovations are implemented ethically and equitably. This review summarises the state of the science for using neuromodulation to treat opioid use disorder, as well as the available ethical discourse surrounding the expansion of clinical trials and eventual widespread clinical implementation. Additional ethics discussions highlight opportunities for the engineering and clinical evolution of neuromodulation for opioid use disorder trials.

Neuroethical and Societal Challenges of 21st Century Epidemics.

Neurologic and neuropsychiatric manifestations of COVID-19 are affecting a growing number of people worldwide. We provide a brief overview of these manifestations, contrasting them with those of other 21st century viral epidemics, as well as mitigation strategies, and societal and moral considerations related to the pandemic. We highlight unique concerns relating to COVID-19 given the scale of infection, mental health challenges faced by health care providers and the general public, and the unprecedented social consequences, including benefits and possible harms associated with continuous connectedness using modern digital communication.