Bioethicists call for oversight of consumer ‘neurotechnologies’ with unproven benefits

The marketing of consumer ‘neurotechnologies’ can be enticing: apps that diagnose a mental state, and brain devices that improve cognition or ‘read’ one’s emotional state. However, many of these increasingly popular products aren’t fully supported by science and have little to no regulatory oversight, which poses potential health risks to the public. Two bioethicists suggest the creation of a working group that would further study, monitor, and provide guidance for this growing industry — which is expected to top $3 billion by 2020.