21st century environmental challenges coupled to novel scientific understandings of their impacts on neurological and mental health raise a distinct set of considerations at the interface between environmental ethics, brain health, and public policy. How do environmental factors like pollution, toxicity, and radiation affect the brain and present long-term epidemiological concerns? What about the relationship between environmental stressors and mental health among diverse demographic populations? How may public health and environmental strategies work in tandem to design interventions for the built and natural environments? And how can we facilitate discussion of all these questions to promote a future population-level resilience to the challenges brought on by environmental change?
To encapsulate these emerging concerns at the convergence between brain and environmental health whilst aligning it with ethical considerations, the Emerging Issues Task Force of the International Neuroethics Society organized a virtual panel discussion. The panel focused on four areas of analysis. Specific attention was given to how these four tiers come together to provide directions for future ethically-minded and behaviorally-driven environmental health research.
- Neurology and the environment – How pollution and other environmental factors contribute to observable brain pathology;
- Mental health and the environment – The interplay between cognitive stressors, environmental change, and susceptibility to mental health issues;
- Cross-cultural factors and the environment – How traditional ecological knowledge interacts with neuroscience and contextualizes the impact of climate change on First Nations/settler communities;
- Social policy and the environment – The role of policymakers, designers, and public health officials in addressing challenges in the built and natural environments through brain and population-centric approaches.
Our panel of experts and rising scholars explored various ethical issues raised by the connection between brain and environment and addressed questions submitted by participants.
Speakers included:
- Caleb E. Finch, University of Southern California
- Laura Y. Cabrera, Pennsylvania State University
- Louise Harding, University of British Columbia
- Thomas Albright, Salk Institute for Biological Studies
- Judy Illes, University of British Columbia (moderator)
Recording
Resources
Here are a few articles, resources, and references mentioned during the webinar.
- Illes J, Davidson J, Matthews R. Environmental neuroethics: changing the environment—changing the brain Recommendations submitted to the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. Journal of Law and the Biosciences, Volume 1, Issue 2, June 2014, Pages 221–223, https://doi.org/10.1093/jlb/lsu015
- Cabrera, L.Y., Tesluk, J., Chakraborti, M. et al. Brain matters: from environmental ethics to environmental neuroethics. Environ Health 15, 20 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-016-0114-3
- Caleb E. Finch, Alexander M. Kulminski. The Alzheimer’s Disease Exposome. Alzheimer’s & Dementia 15 (2019) 1123-1132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2019.06.3914
- Jennifer Ailshire, Katrina M. Walsemann. Education Differences in the Adverse Impact of PM2.5 on Incident Cognitive Impairment Among U.S. Older Adults. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease 79 (2021) 615–625. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-200765
- The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. The Interplay Between Environmental Exposures and Mental Health Outcomes – A Workshop. February 2-3, 2021.
- Jorge Barrera. Lost children: The threat of death was part of life at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. So why is it so hard to determine how many children died there? CBC/Radio-Canada. June 13, 2021.
- Jim Determan, Mary Anne Akers, Tom Albright, Bill Browning, Catherine Martin-Dunlop, Paul Archibald, Valerie Caruolo. The Impact of Biophilic Learning Spaces on Student Success. Building Research Knowledge Database, American Institute of Architecture. Oct 01, 2019.
Speakers
Caleb E. Finch
University of Southern California
Dr. Caleb Finch is the ARCO/William F. Kieschnick Chair in the Neurobiology of Aging at the University of Southern California (USC). He is also founder of the AirPollBrain Network, an educational and research program at USC for environmental neurosciences, and co-principal investigator on a 5-year grant examining how urban air pollution contributes to accelerated brain aging and dementia risk.
Laura Y. Cabrera
Pennsylvania State University
Dr. Laura Cabrera is Associate Professor of Neuroethics at Penn State University and the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Chair in Neuroethics. She is a pioneer of environmental neuroethics as an area of study, focusing on the ethical and social implications of environmental changes for brain and mental health.
Louise Harding
University of British Columbia
Louise Harding is a Project Lead at Neuroethics Canada and MSc student in Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia, with a combined background in neuroscience, Indigenous studies, and nonprofit work. Her research emphasizes culturally meaningful and equitable access to brain technologies and Indigenous perspectives on brain and mind wellness.
Thomas Albright
Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Professor Thomas Albright is the Conrad T. Prebys Chair in Vision Research and Director of the Vision Center Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. As the former President of the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture, his research informs brain-based design in the built environment adapted to education, wellness, and healthcare.
Judy Illes
University of British Columbia
Dr. Judy Illes is Professor of Neurology and Director of Neuroethics Canada at the University of British Columbia. As a pioneer of neuroethics, her research centers on the intersection between neurosciences and biomedical ethics. Among her many leadership roles, she is the co-lead of the Canadian Brain Research Strategy and the Pan Canadian Neurotechnology Ethics Consortium.
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