Current Neuroethical Perspectives on Deep Brain Stimulation and Neuromodulation for Neuropsychiatric Disorders: A Scoping Review of the Past 10 Years

Background: The use of neuromodulation for the treatment of psychiatric disorders has become increasingly common, but this emerging treatment modality comes with ethical concerns. This scoping review aims to synthesize the neuroethical discourse from the past 10 years on the use of neurotechnologies for psychiatric conditions. Methods: A total of 4496 references were imported from PubMed, Embase, and Scopus. The inclusion criteria required a discussion of the neuroethics of neuromodulation and studies published between 2014 and 2024. Results: Of the 77 references, a majority discussed ethical concerns of patient autonomy and informed consent for neuromodulation, with neurotechnologies being increasingly seen as autonomy enablers. Concepts of changes in patient identity and personality, especially after deep brain stimulation, were also discussed extensively. The risks and benefits of neurotechnologies were also compared, with deep brain stimulation being seen as the riskiest but also possessing the highest efficacy. Concerns about equitable access and justice were raised regarding the rise of private transcranial magnetic stimulation clinics and the current experimental status of deep brain stimulation. Conclusions: Neuroethics discourse, particularly for deep brain stimulation, has continued to focus on how post-intervention changes in personality and behavior influence patient identity. Multiple conceptual frameworks have been proposed, though each faces critiques for addressing only parts of this complex phenomenon, prompting calls for pluralistic models. Emerging technologies, especially those involving artificial intelligence through brain computer interfaces, add new dimensions to this debate by raising concerns about neuroprivacy and legal responsibility for actions, further blurring the lines for defining personal identity

Current Advances in Immunotherapy Management of Esophageal Cancer

Esophageal cancer is one of the most common and deadliest cancers worldwide. Rates of esophageal cancer worldwide have been steadily rising over the past decade due to higher incidence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Current therapies include surgical resection, chemotherapy, and limited targeted therapies. One obstacle to care is tumor cells’ ability to evade immune surveillance, which can render certain therapeutics ineffective. Immunotherapy provides a new paradigm to cancer treatment, which has proven to be effective in evasive tumors. In recent years, PD-1/PD-L1 and CLTA-4 inhibitors have been used as frontline treatment and have shown to be extremely effective in the treatment of hard-to-treat tumors. Here, we aim to analyze the current literature regarding current therapeutics along with emerging techniques and future receptor targets for immunotherapy