Emerging ethical issues raised by highly portable MRI research in remote and resource-limited international settings

• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118210
• Publication Date: 2021-05-29T06:45:23Z
• Authors: Francis X. Shen; Susan M. Wolf; Supriya Bhavnani; Sean Deoni; Jed T. Elison; Damien Fair; Michael Garwood; Michael S. Gee; Sairam Geethanath; Kendrick Kay; Kelvin O. Lim; Georgia Lockwood ...; Monica Luciana; David Peloquin; Karen Rommelfanger; Nicoline Schiess; Khan Siddiqui; Efraín Torres; J. Thomas Vaughan
• Keywords: Globe; Neuroethics

Smaller, more affordable, and portable MRI brain scanners offer exciting opportunities to address unmet research needs long-standing health inequities in remote resource-limited international settings. Field-based neuroimaging low- middle-income countries (LMICs) can improve local capacity conduct both structural functional neuroscience studies, expand knowledge of injury neuropsychiatric neurodevelopmental disorders, ultimately the timeliness quality clinical diagnosis treatment around globe. Facilitating settings also diversify reference databases neuroscience, understanding development degeneration across lifespan diverse populations, help create reliable measurements infant child development. These deeper understandings lead new strategies for collaborating with communities mitigate hopefully overcome challenges that negatively impact life. Despite potential importance using highly settings, there is little analysis attendant ethical, legal, social issues (ELSI). To begin addressing this gap, paper presents findings from first phase an envisioned multi-staged iterative approach creating ethical legal guidance a complex global landscape. Section 1 provides brief introduction emerging technology field-based research. 2 our methodology generating plausible use cases identifying associated ELSI issues. 3 analyzes core designing conducting remote, offers recommendations. We argue guiding principle these contexts should be including participants throughout process order sustained value. 4 recommended path next work could further adapt cases, issues, co-develop partnership communities.