Bio-Tech: Neurological Procedures

The brain is the most complex organ in the body, and the seat of consciousness. Procedures that alter brain structure or chemistry can produce profound changes in the subject's memory and personality, for good or for ill.

Neuropsychology (TL8)

This is the study of brain function and how it relates to cognition and behavior. Neuropsychological therapies can help patients deal with conditions caused by abnormal or injured brain structure. This can include many disadvantages, especially Amnesia, Dyslexia, Epilepsy, Neurological Disorder, and Stuttering. Others may be added if the GM considers them caused by brain abnormalities.

Unlike psychotherapy, clinical neuropsychology aims to treat these conditions by using mental and behavioral exercises to develop improved brain function. Such exercises can "remap" the brain, using uninjured areas to take over the tasks of the impaired regions. An effective TL8 example is speech therapy, but other conditions may only become easily treatable at higher TLs.

Statistics: At the GM's option, neuropsychological therapy can be used to justify buying off disadvantages caused by impaired brain function, as for psychotherapy, but substituting a HT-2 roll for the Will roll, and with no penalty for critical failures – it is slower, but not prone to undoing itself. Required treatment sessions and costs are similar.

Deep Learning (TL9)

Deep learning is an intensive process that works on a blank brain (one with no prior experiences outside an artificial womb), making extensive use of technologies such as sleep-teaching tapes, learning-enhancing drugs, and virtual-reality sessions to "program" someone with a synthetic set of skills and knowledge. This would be an ideal technology to combine with the accelerated growth of people (clones, bioroids, etc.) using forced-growth tanks or biofabs.

Six weeks of deep-learning socialization can give someone basic life skills. This can take place while a person is growing in a growth or fast-growth tank. It gives the subject control over his own body and the ability to understand and speak one language at Native level.

Up to an extra year and a half can be spent in deep learning; more time imposes too severe a psychological stress. It counts as intensive training, except that there is no HT requirement and it can last 20 hours a day, the remainder being simulated sleep, rest, or play. Thus, someone undergoing it is actually spending 600 hours a month training (equivalent to 1,200 hours of learning). Deep learning can also program a mental disadvantage into someone, with up to -3 points worth every month possible instead of skill training. This sort of programming is not entirely reliable, and may fail at the GM's option.

A deep-learning system requires a Complexity 6+ computer and specialized teaching programs that control the various virtual-reality simulations, drug doses, etc. Programs cost $100,000 for basic life skills, $12,000 per additional skill. Peripheral hardware must also be added to the growth tank, biofab, or forced-growth tank. This costs $400,000 at TL9 or $100,000 at TL10 (due to advances in neural-interface technology), with the cost being halved at TL11 and again at TL12. The fee charged for the deep-learning process itself costs $4,000 per character point or point of disadvantage gained at TL9, halved at TL10, and again at TL11+.

Brain Scanning (TL10)

This uses diagnostic machines in conjunction with HyMRI to create a mental model of the way a person thinks (a "persona map"). The subject must be conscious, but cooperation is not required. Roll against Electronics Operation (Medical) at -2 or Brainwashing each day to make a full brain scan; subsequent scans to update the map with new data are performed at +1 and take a few hours. Careful study of a recent persona map requires a successful Psychology roll and at least two hours. It reveals the subject's main mental advantages, disadvantages, and quirks, and gives a +2 (quality) bonus to Psychology and +1 (quality) to social or Influence skills when dealing with that person.