Does consciousness matter?

2019 ◽  
pp. 165-188
Author(s):  
Peter Carruthers
Keyword(s):  
Moral Status ◽  
Cognitive Impairments ◽  
Phenomenal Consciousness ◽  
Human Infants ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Moral Status Of Animals

Chapter 7 concluded that there is no fact of the matter concerning phenomenal consciousness in animals, while also arguing that this conclusion is of no importance for science. The present chapter inquires whether it is nevertheless important in other ways, specifically for our ethical treatment of animals, arguing that it is not. But a challenge remains for those who theorize about the moral status of animals: they need to prize the foundations of their theories apart from assumptions about consciousness. The chapter also considers what should be said about the phenomenally conscious status of humans who, like animals, only partially share a full global-broadcasting architecture, such as human infants and people suffering from age-related cognitive impairments.

The Moral Status of Animals.

1978 ◽  
Vol 28 (111) ◽  
pp. 177
Author(s):  
Mary Midgley ◽  
Stephen R. L. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Moral Status ◽  
Moral Status Of Animals

scholarly journals Impairments in Brain Bioenergetics in Aging and Tau Pathology: A Chicken and Egg Situation?

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 2531
Author(s):  
Amandine Grimm
Keyword(s):  
Brain Metabolism ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Cognitive Impairments ◽  
Tau Phosphorylation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Tau Pathology ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Energy Consuming ◽  
Effects Of Aging ◽  
The Brain

The brain is the most energy-consuming organ of the body and impairments in brain energy metabolism will affect neuronal functionality and viability. Brain aging is marked by defects in energetic metabolism. Abnormal tau protein is a hallmark of tauopathies, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Pathological tau was shown to induce bioenergetic impairments by affecting mitochondrial function. Although it is now clear that mutations in the tau-coding gene lead to tau pathology, the causes of abnormal tau phosphorylation and aggregation in non-familial tauopathies, such as sporadic AD, remain elusive. Strikingly, both tau pathology and brain hypometabolism correlate with cognitive impairments in AD. The aim of this review is to discuss the link between age-related decrease in brain metabolism and tau pathology. In particular, the following points will be discussed: (i) the common bioenergetic features observed during brain aging and tauopathies; (ii) how age-related bioenergetic defects affect tau pathology; (iii) the influence of lifestyle factors known to modulate brain bioenergetics on tau pathology. The findings compiled here suggest that age-related bioenergetic defects may trigger abnormal tau phosphorylation/aggregation and cognitive impairments after passing a pathological threshold. Understanding the effects of aging on brain metabolism may therefore help to identify disease-modifying strategies against tau-induced neurodegeneration.

scholarly journals Disability, Narrative, and Moral Status

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth B. Purcell
Keyword(s):  
Moral Status ◽  
Cognitive Impairments ◽  
Moral Standing ◽  
Moral Action ◽  
Social Ability ◽  
Present Essay

<p>The present essay aims to respond to recent arguments which maintain that persons with severe cognitive impairments should not enjoy the full moral status or equal dignity as other "cognitively-able" humans. In the debate concerning moral standing and worth, philosophers Singer and McMahan have argued that individuals with certain impairments should not be granted full moral status and therefore, by extension, should not be awarded the same inviolability as humans without cognitive impairments. In response, I argue that an overlooked social ability – the capacity to narrate – provides grounds for the full moral status of individuals with severe cognitive impairments, and thus provides a defense and support for individuals with such "disabilities" to play a robust role in moral action and contribution to human living. </p>

Reversal of age-related cognitive impairments in mice by an extremely low dose of tetrahydrocannabinol

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 ◽  
pp. 177-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yosef Sarne ◽  
Roni Toledano ◽  
Lital Rachmany ◽  
Effrat Sasson ◽  
Ravid Doron
Keyword(s):  
Low Dose ◽  
Cognitive Impairments ◽  
Age Related

Preventing Alzheimer's Wandering

2019 ◽  
pp. 77-89
Author(s):  
Sara Paiva ◽  
Rui Peleja ◽  
Jorge Cunha ◽  
Carlos Abreu
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Cognitive Impairments ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Brain Disorder ◽  
Age Related

With increased life expectancy, the incidence of age-related cognitive impairments, faced by the elderly and older generations, is growing. Among the population with cognitive impairments, those that suffer from Alzheimer's disease are the most common. The Alzheimer's disease is a chronic degenerative brain disorder that is characterised by a failure of memory and, in some instances, by disorders in language, perception and planning. As a consequence of the progressive damages imposed by the illness, patients will increasingly seek and need assistance. This paper presents a tool to aid the development and managing of caregiving communities, comprising immediate family members, relatives, neighbours and healthcare professionals, to assist patients with Alzheimer's disease. Such communities could have a strong impact on the quality of care provided to the patients. At the same time, it is hoped that involving communities will significantly improve the quality of life of Alzheimer's patients and their families while reducing the costs related to the care provided.

Gene Doping—in Animals? Ethical Issues at the Intersection of Animal Use, Gene Editing, and Sports Ethics

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
CAROLYN P. NEUHAUS ◽  
BRENDAN PARENT
Keyword(s):  
Moral Status ◽  
Gene Editing ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The State ◽  
Sports Ethics ◽  
Nonhuman Animals ◽  
Animal Use ◽  
Moral Status Of Animals ◽  
Do So

Abstract:Gene editors such as CRISPR could be used to create stronger, faster, or more resilient nonhuman animals. This is of keen interest to people who breed, train, race, and profit off the millions of animals used in sport that contribute billions of dollars to legal and illegal economies across the globe. People have tried for millennia to perfect sport animals; CRISPR proposes to do in one generation what might have taken decades previously. Moreover, gene editing may facilitate enhancing animals’ capacities beyond their typical limits. This paper describes the state of animal use and engineering for sport, examines the moral status of animals, and analyzes current and future ethical issues at the intersection of animal use, gene editing, and sports. We argue that animal sport enthusiasts and animal welfarists alike should be concerned about the inevitable use of CRISPR in sport animals. Though in principle CRISPR could be used to improve sport animals’ well-being, we think it is unlikely in practice to do so.

scholarly journals Jumping Stand Apparatus Reveals Rapidly Specific Age-Related Cognitive Impairments in Mouse Lemur Primates

PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. e0146238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Luc Picq ◽  
Nicolas Villain ◽  
Charlotte Gary ◽  
Fabien Pifferi ◽  
Marc Dhenain
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairments ◽  
Mouse Lemur ◽  
Age Related
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