Amsterdam, 23 April 2004 - “Brains sciences are not only about treating diseases, they form an important narrative about what it is to be human. That is why it is important to have a societal discussion about what is going on in the field,” said Andreas Roepstorff, a medical anthropologist from the University of Aarhus (Denmark). Roepstorffs’ statement was one of the important conclusions of the expert-stakeholder workshop ‘Connecting Brains and Society, the Present and Future of Brain Sciences: what is possible, what is desirable?’

This summary of the meeting put together by Peter Raeymaekers, Karin Rondia and Marjan Slob. It is the first in a four part series covering the key topics discussed at the meeting.

The meeting represented the overture of the European Citizens Deliberation project. Before involving citizens in the discussions on brain sciences, the members of the steering committee of the ECD felt that an overview of the technological and societal aspects of brain sciences was needed.

A Timely Topic

A citizen’s debate on the different aspects of brain science was welcomed by all participants of the workshop. “Considering that 35% of the burden of all diseases is caused by brain diseases, these diseases have received relatively little attention,” said Jes Olesen, president of the European Brain Council.

-- Is there enough teaching of neuroscience and brain diseases at medical and nursing schools?
-- Is a reasonable proportion of research funds allocated to basic and clinical neuroscience?
-- Are the efforts in prevention, primary care and hospital treatment sufficient?

The huge burden of brain diseases requires a response to all these questions. Society must also address the fact that the burden of brain diseases will further increase in the next 10–20 years.

Baroness Susan Greenfield, director of the Royal Institution of Great Britain, considers brains sciences a timely topic for debate, “Appreciating the dynamism and sensitivity of our brain circuitry, the prospect of directly tampering with the essence of our individuality seems to become a possibility.”

A well selected group of 25 European top level scientists and stakeholders were invited to this informative workshop to give their views on the developments in brain sciences from their own perspectives. Among them physicians, neuro-, psychiatric, cognitive and social scientists, philosophers, artists and representatives of stakeholder organisations – i.e. the pharmaceutical industry, the European Brain Council, the European Federation of Neurological Associations and the Global Alliance of Mental Illness Advocacy Networks, and The European DANA Alliance for the Brain. Unfortunately, the president of the Federation of the European Neuroscience Societies, Pierre Magistretti, was in the end not able to attend the workshop. But CCLE's Wrye Sententia attended from the USA to discuss our emerging neurosociety.