Brain scans could soon read minds and single out potential criminals before they commit any crimes, researchers claim.
Other uses of functional magnetic resonance imaging could include lie detectors in courtrooms, and anti-terrorist screening.
Scientists say the advancing technology could even be used for so-called neuro-marketing, to determine how much a consumer wanted a product.
But Julia Gottwald, who sets out the possibilities in her book Sex, Lies & Brain Scans with Professor Barbara Sahakian, feels the advances raise moral dilemmas.
The Cambridge University neuroscientist said, “Even though fMRI cannot read minds yet, we need to start deciding how we might want to use it and where it might violate privacy.”
Brain imaging tests like Positron Emission Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging are indispensible to researchers studying the brain. These technologies allow researchers to look inside the brain to see the effects of injuries, diseases, and even drugs and other chemicals.