%A Darby,R. Ryan %A Pascual-Leone,Alvaro %D 2017 %J Frontiers in Human Neuroscience %C %F %G English %K morality,enhancement,Brain Stimulation,TMS,tDCS,Ethics,Neuroethics %Q %R 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00077 %W %L %M %P %7 %8 2017-February-22 %9 Review %+ R. Ryan Darby,Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Cognitive Neurology Unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School,Boston, MA, USA,rdarby@bidmc.harvard.edu %# %! Moral Enhancement using Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation %* %< %T Moral Enhancement Using Non-invasive Brain Stimulation %U https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00077 %V 11 %0 JOURNAL ARTICLE %@ 1662-5161 %X Biomedical enhancement refers to the use of biomedical interventions to improve capacities beyond normal, rather than to treat deficiencies due to diseases. Enhancement can target physical or cognitive capacities, but also complex human behaviors such as morality. However, the complexity of normal moral behavior makes it unlikely that morality is a single capacity that can be deficient or enhanced. Instead, our central hypothesis will be that moral behavior results from multiple, interacting cognitive-affective networks in the brain. First, we will test this hypothesis by reviewing evidence for modulation of moral behavior using non-invasive brain stimulation. Next, we will discuss how this evidence affects ethical issues related to the use of moral enhancement. We end with the conclusion that while brain stimulation has the potential to alter moral behavior, such alteration is unlikely to improve moral behavior in all situations, and may even lead to less morally desirable behavior in some instances.