Baby-Brain
Colliqual name for the state which human and posthuman brains are put into when using the drug mnemase for fastlearning.
Mnemase, developed all the way back on Ancient Terra during the Wormhole Rush, is a drug which when taken increases brain plasticity, making it easier for the subject to learn and retain information. This forms the core of fastlearning, capable of accomplishing such feats as teaching a person a new language in a matter of weeks, with little effort required on their part besides staying awake.
Baby-brain, as the effects of mnemase are known, gets its name from the high-plasticity state which the brains of young humans (and indeed, virtually all intelligent species) are in for their first few years of life. At this age, language acquisition is very easy, and indeed if not learned at this phase in development, the child will suffer severe cognitive disability. Mnemase artificially re-creates this state in adults, once again enabling this passive acquisition of complex knowledge. Usually accomplished in sessions, these typically involve playing videos to the subject followed by practice of the new skills after the end.
Subjects under the influence of mnemase must be treated carefully, usually kept inside an enclosed pod for the duration of their fastlearning session, which is concluded with a dose of anti-agent to reverse the plasticizing effects of mnemase. Exposure to extraneous stimuli while the brain is still in the super-plastic state can disrupt knowledge acquistion and even cause psychological distress requiring intensive repair. For this reason, mnemase is considered a controlled substance, though cases of abuse and consequent baby-brain symptoms are not unknown in hospitals.
Treatment of this condition is no small feat, mnemase-induced brain disruption can be extremely damaging outside of controlled conditions. Commonly, methodical fine-tuned fastlearner sessions are used to correct any disruptions in an attempt to restore the patient's previous functionality, but severe cases are not easily reversed and even when treatment is as complete as it can be, the patient is still left fundamentally different in some ways than they were before.
Mnemase, developed all the way back on Ancient Terra during the Wormhole Rush, is a drug which when taken increases brain plasticity, making it easier for the subject to learn and retain information. This forms the core of fastlearning, capable of accomplishing such feats as teaching a person a new language in a matter of weeks, with little effort required on their part besides staying awake.
Baby-brain, as the effects of mnemase are known, gets its name from the high-plasticity state which the brains of young humans (and indeed, virtually all intelligent species) are in for their first few years of life. At this age, language acquisition is very easy, and indeed if not learned at this phase in development, the child will suffer severe cognitive disability. Mnemase artificially re-creates this state in adults, once again enabling this passive acquisition of complex knowledge. Usually accomplished in sessions, these typically involve playing videos to the subject followed by practice of the new skills after the end.
Subjects under the influence of mnemase must be treated carefully, usually kept inside an enclosed pod for the duration of their fastlearning session, which is concluded with a dose of anti-agent to reverse the plasticizing effects of mnemase. Exposure to extraneous stimuli while the brain is still in the super-plastic state can disrupt knowledge acquistion and even cause psychological distress requiring intensive repair. For this reason, mnemase is considered a controlled substance, though cases of abuse and consequent baby-brain symptoms are not unknown in hospitals.
Treatment of this condition is no small feat, mnemase-induced brain disruption can be extremely damaging outside of controlled conditions. Commonly, methodical fine-tuned fastlearner sessions are used to correct any disruptions in an attempt to restore the patient's previous functionality, but severe cases are not easily reversed and even when treatment is as complete as it can be, the patient is still left fundamentally different in some ways than they were before.
Type
Chemical Compound
Origin
Engineered
That was a really fun and imaginative drug!