Legal implications of neuroscientific instruments with special regard to the german constitutional order

Abstract

Whereas the past few years have repeatedly been entitled as the era of biotechnology, most recently one has to get the impression that at least the same degree of intention is being paid to the latest developments in the field of neurosciences. It is by now nearly impossible to oversee the number of research projects dealing with the functionality of the brain - for instance concerning the organizational structure of the brain - or projects dealing with the topic of mind reading. Massive efforts have also been taken in the field of prediction; for instance, it is possible to analyze certain structures and thereby presume the research paticipant's decision before he/she has ever told it. The concept of neurosciences covers a wide range of different scientific branches, all of which investigate the structure and functioning of the nervous system. As far as research in connection to the human brain is concerned, the term of brain research is nearly used as a synonym. The concerned research projects do not only cover experimental basic research, but also search for therapeutic methods of treating nervous diseases.