Playing with Brain Function for Fun and Profit

[troublewillfindme]

Strap yourselves in, it’s time for some questionable science in the pursuit of duct-taping the lore together.

Today’s question:
How the fuck does psionic testing actually work in XCOM Enemy Unknown?

 

Okay, some disclaimers upfront:
I’m not a scientist. My grasp on neuroscience is really, really basic. That’s gonna show here.

I also am running with The Bureau as canon, though you can make this work without it. That being said, there are spoilers for Hangar 6 R&D in here.

Now that that’s done, on we go!

So, the history. In the days before the 1960s invasion, the Bureau had already developed a gas capable of inducing psionic abilities for a given time post-exposure. DaSilva doesn’t have an Ethereal, but he has Battle Focus, Lift, and can deploy Blobs over the course of the campaign. He can also see the influence of Mosaic over the Sleepwalker currently being used in the test.

Given the Bureau’s general atmosphere, it’s unlikely they chucked this particular pharmaceutical to the side after the invasion. Even with data lost in the attack on Site X, backups probably survived. Additional tests were also likely carried out after the invasion, given the revelations about Ethereals and their abilities.

And let’s make something clear here: the Bureau is shown to be fine experimenting on its own people, even when the research is shady at best. There’s nothing far-fetched about this. If any records of the 1960s invasion and the work surrounding it, both before and after, then Vahlen likely is pulling from a body of research to design XCOM’s psionics testing program.

But what exactly is Vahlen testing for anyway?

In Enemy Unknown, the Sectoid Commander’s autopsy (codename: Rosetta, as in the Rosetta Stone, the key for unlocking ancient Egyptian written language and almost certainly not a lightly chosen name), Vahlen notes the Commander’s abilities are likely a result of “unusual activity in the synaptic connections” which are “capable of transmitting nerve impulses at nearly three times the normal rate.”

Vahlen also says this is likely a result of genetic manipulation. However, since gene modifications are not a prerequisite for psionics, this suggests that, at the core, psionic ability is tied to the nitty-gritty of neurofunctioning. Therefore, psionic testing likely involves finding candidates who can adapt to and sustain induced alterations in brain function.

If this is all sounds a little alarming, it probably should. 

So, how do you actually alter brain function in a (relatively) non-invasive way?

Drugs are the first option. In this case, we have the compound from Hangar 6 and whatever alterations have been made to it. When I was originally contemplating this (which, for context, goes way back to before EEAE), I threw MDMA/psilocybin/something along those lines in there instead. Again, my knowledge of neuroscience is really basic, and your mileage may vary. However, since Bureau gives us a canon-substance, I’m gonna run with it.

And now, we plunge into the more … interesting side of things.

Currently, there are ongoing studies surrounding transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Most of the clinical evidence is … questionable at best, thus far, but this is shady science and we’re not here for legitimate clinical uses. 

TDCS, though not in its current (no pun intended form) has been documented as early as 1801 [1]. It perked up again in the 1960s when it was proven the technique did alter brain function. My point is: it’s not new.

I’m gonna switch to quote the Wikipedia article here and presere the references to best explain how tDCS works:

One of the aspects of tDCS is its ability to achieve cortical changes even after the stimulation is ended. The duration of this change depends on the length of stimulation as well as the intensity of stimulation. The effects of stimulation increase as the duration of stimulation increases or the strength of the current increases.[3] The way that the stimulation changes brain function is either by causing the neuron’s resting membrane potential to depolarize or hyperpolarize. When positive stimulation (anodal tDCS) is delivered, the current causes a depolarization of the resting membrane potential, which increases neuronal excitability and allows for more spontaneous cell firing. When negative stimulation (cathodal tDCS) is delivered, the current causes a hyperpolarization of the resting membrane potential. This decreases neuron excitability due to the decreased spontaneous cell firing.[4][5]

And if you, like me, are left going “what does that even mean?”

Transcranial direct current stimulation works by sending constant, low direct current through the electrodes. When these electrodes are placed in the region of interest, the current induces intracerebral current flow. This current flow then either increases or decreases the neuronal excitability in the specific area being stimulated based on which type of stimulation is being used. This change of neuronal excitability leads to alteration of brain function, which can be used in various therapies as well as to provide more information about the functioning of the human brain.[3]

What’s important here is the fact that tDCS can achieve changes in the brain after stimulation has ended. Considering we’re talking about inducing a permanent change in neurofunctioning to induce psionics, that’s important.

The other candidate is TMS.

TMS is “a non-invasive procedure in which a changing magnetic field is used to cause electric current to flow in a small targeted region of the brain via electromagnetic induction. During a TMS procedure, a magnetic field generator, or "coil", is placed on the scalp.[6]The coil is connected to a pulse generator, or stimulator, that delivers a changing electric current to the coil.[7]”

TMS has a much easier description of legitimate medical uses, especially as a diagnostic tool, but the big hoopla around it has been reports of increased mental acuity and creativity, especially when applied to certain parts of the brain. You can read the New York Times article from 2003 here or a more recent take from Discover magazine here. Discover magazine also mentions the “DIY brain stimulation community,” which, as a side note, does not seem like something you should take up lightly as a hobby.

Again, key takeaway here is that both of these techniques alter brain function with minimal invasion (since we don’t see any wires, needles, etc. in the cut scene where the first psi operative is discovered). Misused or misapplied, it stands to reason they could also induce brain dysfunction (which could potentially explain Geist’s amnesia).

Psionic testing then, is probably using some combination of the above techniques over an extended period of time (testing is a ten day isolated procedure) to induce the desired brain functioning, a cessation of stimulation, observation if the altered function remains, then rinse and repeat. It’s also probably gradual and done under some degree of sedation (tDCS isn’t reported as painful but repeated TMS can be). At the end of the ten days, if neurofunctioning has been sufficiently altered, you get a soldier with the Gift (really, a very adaptable brain). If not, your soldier just had one hell of a trip while you screwed with their head on a fundamental level.

With regard to the implications this has on XCOM 2, I have one thing to say and one thing only: space magic.

References

[1] http://www.biusante.parisdescartes.fr/chn/docpdf/parent_aldini.pdf

[2] Albert, D. J. (1966). The effect of spreading depression on the consolidation of learning. Neuropsychologia, 4.

[3] Utz, Kathrin S.; Dimova, Violeta; Oppenländer, Karin; Kerkhoff, Georg (2010). "Electrified minds: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation (GVS) as methods of non-invasive brain stimulation in neuropsychology—A review of current data and future implications". Neuropsychologia. 48 (10): 2789–810. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2010.06.002. PMID 20542047.

[4] Nitsche, Michael A.; Cohen, Leonardo G.; Wassermann, Eric M.; Priori, Alberto; Lang, Nicolas; Antal, Andrea; Paulus, Walter; Hummel, Friedhelm; Boggio, Paulo S.; Fregni, Felipe; Pascual-Leone, Alvaro (2008). "Transcranial direct current stimulation: State of the art 2008". Brain Stimulation. 1 (3): 206–23. doi:10.1016/j.brs.2008.06.004. PMID 20633386.

[5] Nitsche, M. A.; Paulus, W. (2000). "Excitability changes induced in the human motor cortex by weak transcranial direct current stimulation". The Journal of Physiology. 527 (3): 633–639. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7793.2000.t01-1-00633.x. PMC 2270099 .

[6]NiCE. January 2014 Transcranial magnetic stimulation for treating and preventing migraine

[7]Michael Craig Miller for Harvard Health Publications. July 26, 2012 Magnetic stimulation: a new approach to treating depression?