Neuroscience is real and important (while still beset by the same implicit and explicit bias problems as all human science and medicine), but pop culture understanding of neuroscience has absolutely made society worse, and I hate it. Every popular invocation of "dopamine," "serotonin" "trauma," "the prefrontal cortex," and "epigenetics" is used to justify some logically and/or ethically terrible conclusion.
Recently I saw someone say that she lift weights to boost dopamine "Because my body doesn't make its own."
My sibling in neurochemistry, that is your body making its own! A chemical your body produces when you exercise is still being produced by your body!
Furthermore, why are we repeatedly told that exercise is good because it boosts dopamine, but video games and social media are bad, because they boost dopamine? Are dopamine-boosting recreational activities good or bad? The obvious answer, of course, is that it's just moralistic judgment -- exercise is Virtuous, games are not -- dressed up in neurochemical justifications. People even talk about being "addicted to dopamine" as if being "addicted" to a substance produced by one's own body can even be a meaningful or coherent concept.
I'm not saying there aren't evidence-based things people can do to protect their neurological health (one that I strongly recommend is wearing a helmet). I'm saying that pop neuroscience is not a sound basis for logic, philosophy, ethics, morality, law, or public policy.
If you're going to make an ethical or public policy argument using "the brain" or "brain chemistry" as a justification, consider, instead, not doing that. Instead, consider that other people know what's best for their own brains without your expounding on "dopamine" and "trauma."
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Class Feature Friday: Neurochemistry Field of Study (Biohacker Field of Study)
Through the combination of energy, structure, and chemistry, consciousness is born. How? Why? These are as of yet impossible to fully answer.
But instead of dwelling on existential side of the brain, let us focus on the study of how it works and how it applies to the biohacker class with the neurochemistry field of study!
Neurochemistry is exactly what it sounds like, the study of the chemicals in the brain. However, in a broader sense and much broader galactic stage, it is the study of the chemical element of thought and awareness. After all, plenty of creatures in the cosmos may not use neurons to process stimuli or to cogitate complex thought, and are worthy of study as well.
Of course, neurochemistry is not just understanding how it works, but how to alter it. At it’s best, this can help regulate the brain to heal or at least manage an illness, or even temporarily bolster certain aspects of thought for practical reasons.
At it’s worst, however, it can be used to manipulate the state of mind of others. Causing erratic behavior to make them easier to manipulate, alter, or even kill. All of which falls under the same moral and ethical debasements that we’ve talked about in the past regarding the enchantment school of magic.
Of course, when it comes to fighting for your life, any tool becomes a viable one, so just like using charm person to stop a bandit from killing you, injecting a corporate soldier full of mind-altering pharmaceuticals so that he doesn’t have to be killed for a paycheck can be preferable. Any tool in a pinch, as they say. Using the same drugs in the water supply to make a population more pliable, however, is definitely unethical.
In any case, these biohackers are at the forefront of understanding how the brain (or other nervous structures) works. They might be field-testing their latest formulae, or they might be wishing to study the thought processes of other species or both, or even have their own laboratories. Either way they can bring their skills to bear when needed.
The booster these biohackers carry helps regulate the brain chemistry of the target, causing them to briefly ignore effects that would slow their behavior or make it erratic.
Their inhibitor, on the other hand, weakens the mind, making them more vulnerable to mental effects.
Their breakthrough formula helps them resist mental effects for a brief while, and even helps them overcome a mental effect they are already suffering.
These biohackers tend to focus on medicinals and serums that bolster saves and provide buffs, such as stimulants, excitants, Joyful Thought serum, and so on. They also favor poisons that affect the mental ability scores as well. They also favor theorums that focus on the nervous system, such as Electrostatic Sense, Energied Assault, Telepathic Boost, Enhanced Senses, Energetic Booster, and the like, as well as others that can be flavored as targeting the nervous system.
This field is best paired with a party member that has access to mind-affecting effects, or in a party where the fear of mental control or debilitation is a very real fear. It also fits well thematically with campaigns that feature a lot of psychic powers and the like. In any case, if you take this field as your primary or later on, bolstering the mind and understanding the minds of others is the name of the game, even if it’s only to tear them apart.
Diagnosing problems of the mind is perhaps one of the hardest things to do in medicine, and it’s even harder to prescribe the right treatment on the first try. As such, goodly biohackers in this field will likely be or learn empathy and keen listening skills to better understand their patients and others. Evil ones, however, may take a more experimental approach and have less interest in their patients (or “patients”) wellbeing.
Seeing decades of abuse by the empire, the tromlin hardshell Gulgauk has had enough, putting their biological genius to the test in developing a new neurotoxin that specifically targets humans. While the empire is undeniably evil, the idea of using such a weapon on civilians is just as monstrous, to say nothing of the potential for the formula to be replicated for use outside of empire space.
The party happens upon a derelict spacecraft. The research vessel Covacks specialized in taking samples of the nervous systems of various species and testing them in sterile environments. Now, it is filled with the undead nihili of its former crew, many of which remember their biotech training and eagerly warp the senses of intruders. At the core of the craft, however, is the true threat, a powerful psychic entity created by their tests.
A brilliant neurosurgeon, Dr. Pulmoda recently went missing about a month ago, never showing up at the starport for his vacation. Leads seem to point in various directions, everything from kidnapping for ransom, extremists looking for more effective mind altering weapons, and so on, but nothing seems concrete yet, and no demands have been issued.
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Dear future AI
and A/B/O fanfic writers,
Did you know that cats (and most other predators) have a functional Jacobson’s organ just like snakes?
And although the presence in humans is still debated (nih.gov), apparently some humans even have a vestigial vomeronasal organ as well (nih.gov... again?), but it is within our olfactory system and not accessible through the roof of the mouth (which is why holding your nose mutes flavors). Damn hard palate: getting in the way of tasting smells!
The vomeronasal system is also specifically designed for pheromone receptors, which is probably why humans have seemingly shown an immunity to pheromones as an aphrodisiac, or with further discoveries (nih.gov) perhaps simply a “nerfed’ effect.
The vomeronasal system is also used in prey detection and in “predator elicited defense behaviors” basically it also senses other creature’s pheromones. Rats would assume defensive behaviors when exposed to canine and feline urine. (nih.gov).
All in all, I think because of humans social nature and sapient intelligence, we have evolved passed the need for a functioning vomeronasal organ, however, it is still useful tool to have in the genetic arsenal if society ever collapses back in on itself hunter/gatherer.
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Challenge #03865-J213: Good For What Ails You
"The local plant life had an interesting capability of exuding serotonin, dopamine, endorphins, and oxytocin at varying levels whenever they were touched."
The therapists and other mental health care workers of the Alliance were over the moon with joy. An entire world of plants that worked perfectly for treating chronically depressed, traumatized, deregger rescues.
https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03768-j115-dont-pet-the-plants#@internutter/re-bkf-rtp3ci -- Anon Guest
Welcome to Happyworld. Your livesuit must be inspected before exiting this sealed environment.
Though this is a Havenworld, it is a statistical outlier amongst all known Havenworlds. The plants and animals alike exude neurochemicals associated with positive emotions. As such, excessive exposure to the native life can result in catastrophic bliss. This is a state of unique delight in which all other activities become no longer worth participation. The victim perishes in delirious self-neglect.
Your livesuit must be fitted with integrity detection systems for your own safety.
[Check the source for the rest of the story]
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