Title page

Contents

Introduction 9

1. Background 11

1.1. Definition 11

1.2. Types of BCIs 12

1.3. Recent advances 13

1.4. Federal agency activities that affect BCI development and use 13

2. Current and Potential BCI Applications 18

2.1. Medical applications 19

2.2. Nonmedical applications 20

3. Challenges and Policy Options for Brain-Computer Interfaces 22

3.1. Challenges related to BCI data 22

3.2. Challenges related to BCI access and adoption 28

3.3. Challenges related to BCI manufacturing 34

3.4. Potential for unethical and inequitable outcomes 36

4. Agency and Expert Comments 39

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology 40

Appendix II: Expert Participation 43

Appendix III: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments 44

Table 1. Selected protections that may be applicable to brain-computer interface (BCI) data 23

Table 2. Potential use cases for data collected by brain-computer interfaces (BCI), and regulatory entities that are likely to have jurisdiction 24

Table 3. Policy options that may help address challenges related to brain-computer interface (BCI) data 27

Table 4. Policy options that may help address challenges related to brain-computer interface (BCI) access and adoption 32

Table 5. Policy options that may help address challenges with manufacturing brain-computer interfaces (BCI) 35

Table 6. Policy options that may help address ethical challenges to the use of brain computer interfaces (BCI) 38

Figure 1. Steps of a brain-computer interface (BCI) 11

Figure 2. Implantable and wearable brain-computer interfaces (BCI) 12

Figure 3. Funding levels for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative 17

Figure 4. Examples of experimental brain-computer interface (BCI) applications 18