Charting neuroethics discourse in Africa: A scoping review of ethical issues of neuroscience research in Africa

Abstract

The global neuroethics discourse has gained prominence since the beginning of the 21st century. Perspectives on neuroethics have been drawn from USA, Asia, the European Union etc. In Africa, the discourse has been largely influenced by neurogenomics research and collaborations across countries in the region. As neuroethicists continue to propose considerations for framing neuroethics discourse in Africa, ethical issues arise from not only largescale neurogenomics research, but such other neuroscience and brain research projects conducted in heterogeneous societies on the continent. Such neuroscience research projects carried out in academic institutions and medical facilities are yet to be subjected to an investigation of ethical issues arising therefrom. This paper therefore took a departure from neuroethics discourse being shaped in neurogenomics and international collaborations to consider what ethical issues arise from neuroscience broadly across parts of Africa. We conducted a scoping review of neuroscience research and neuroethics publications, complemented by the snowballing method to investigate ethical issues arising from such research endeavors. The research was grounded in ubuntu principles as lens through which ethical, legal and social implications of African neuroscience research were viewed. Findings established ethical issues peculiar within the African neuroscience research context including inequitable access to neuroscience research, distrust, lack of research funding, imposition of foreign methods without standardisation within contexts, violence and use of restraints, threat to life and morbidity, etc as ethical issues of neuroscience in Africa.