Tag: environmental neuroethics

Dr. Cabrera published in special Clinical Neuroethics themed journal issue

Laura Cabrera photoCenter Assistant Professor Dr. Laura Cabrera has a new article in the October 2017 issue of Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics. The article, “Pesticides: A Case Domain for Environmental Neuroethics,” appears in a Clinical Neuroethics theme issue.

Abstract: There is growing evidence about the influence of chemical exposures on specific molecular systems and mechanisms involved in cognitive and mental function. Evidence is also emerging about the negative impact of these chemical exposures on mental health, including depression, suicide, and other risks. Despite the growing appreciation of these factors, however, little attention has been paid to the ethical and social implications of their interactions. Drawing on recent work that argues for an environmental neuroethics approach that explicitly brings together ethics, environment, and conditions of the central nervous system, this article focuses on these critical issues for pesticides specifically.

The full text is available online via Cambridge University Press (MSU Library or other institutional access may be required to view this article).

Environmental neuroethics: Setting the foundations

Laura Cabrera photoCenter Assistant Professor Dr. Laura Cabrera has a chapter in the new book Neuroethics: Anticipating the Future, edited by Judy Illes and published last month by Oxford University Press. Dr. Cabrera has provided the abstract of her chapter “Environmental neuroethics: Setting the foundations” below.

Abstract: The ways in which humans relate to their environments has been studied from different perspectives, including ethics, sociology, behavioral sciences and genetics. This chapter discusses an emerging approach within neuroethics – environmental neuroethics (EN) – that focuses on ethical and social implications of environmental influences on brain health and mental health. The chapter begins with an overview of different disciplinary approaches to examining the relationship between the environment and human health, followed by discussion of environmental effects on brain and mental health. The next section argues for the importance of generating normative discussion about related issues, particularly because these matters are of global concern with linked social justice implications. This section also lays the foundations for the first generation of environmental neuroethics. The chapter concludes with key questions and challenges ahead for environmental neuroethics.