Cyberbrain

".] A cyberbrain (Japanese: 電脳 (でんのう), Dennō), is a fictional self-contained module that has the main purposes of containing, protecting, and interfacing the artificially augmented brain inside. The "brain" includes the brain stem but excludes the eyes, optic nerves, and most of the spine. By being a physically self-contained module, the cyberbrain allows the artificially augmented brain inside to function or be physically stored inside a body, to be physically transferred between bodies, or to be temporarily stored or transported outside any body. In "Testation" (will-making), for example, a weapons engineer working on a tank prototype had his all-natural brain converted into a cyberbrain after his all-natural body died, and then installed into the prototype, replacing his all natural body with the tank; cyberization allowed him to literally become his weapon. Another key ability of cyberbrain technology is to make interface with any device technologically possible, including conversations spoken without use of the body's literal sound abilities. This technology is from the science fiction series "Ghost in the Shell" by Masamune Shirow, and also appear in his later work "Real Drive". Within the world of "GITS" and "RD", cyberbrains are as common as cell phones are in reality.

Cyberization is a fictional portrayal of a brain-computer interface, whereby an all natural brain is physically integrated with electronic components to produce an augmented organ referred to as a cyberbrain. The terms were first coined in the anime and manga series "Ghost in the Shell". Cyberbrain implants, in conjunction with micromachines, allow the brain to initiate and maintain a connection to computer networks or other individuals who also possess a cyberbrain. Through the use of a cyberbrain it is possible to have a direct, constant connection between the human brain and the Internet without the need for external devices. This capability results in a number of unforeseen psychosocial phenomena (including the Stand Alone Complex) whose emergence is a major plot element of the various "Ghost in the Shell" stories.

Overview

The anime and manga series "Ghost in the Shell", focuses in part on the continued cybernetic augmentation of humans. One such procedure involves the cyberization and modularization of the brain. The resulting cyberization yields what is referred to as a cyberbrain, which is a hybrid of an individual's original nervous tissue with cybernetic components. This procedure increases subject's neural abilities beyond their original biological constraints in some fields. Additionally to gain these increased abilities it is not necessary for a subject to undergo complete cyberization and acquire a body prosthesis to support the cyberized brain. Due to advances in technology and the understanding of a human being's biological processes, an individual may choose to only have their brain cyberized (as with Togusa) , leaving the rest of their body in its original state. Also, after undergoing neural cyberization an individual may easily be transferred to a new cyberbrain as conditions dictate and if integrated with a complete cyborg body an individual could increase their lifespan several fold beyond that of a normal human.

Philosophical implications

The concept of the cyberbrain could be considered an idea out of "Transhumanism" a philosophy that believes in the usage of technology to remove the negative aspects of humanity such as disease, genetic abnormalities, or physical impairments. Dichotomously, such benefits continue the theme of the series on "Existentialism". Due to the ability to transfer an individual's consciousness into a cyberbrain and thus preserving the "ghost/soul" of the person the burden of humanity is no longer carried by the physical body. However, due to the proliferation of these processes and their widespread integration into the fictional world of "Ghost in the Shell" many individuals have relegated human consciousness to nothing more than mere data which can be transferred and copied thereby cheapening the concepts of identity and individuality.

Drawbacks

Drawbacks include routine hacking and alteration of one's memories or sensory input, as was witnessed in the Laughing Man incident, where the vision of an entire crowd was altered so that the perpetrator could escape from the police by tightly clothing most of his body and hacking everyone's eyes just to cover the exposed part of his face. Ghost hacking is a more lethal procedure where the victim's entire memory is replaced with cartoonish and flimsy false memories that are known as such to the victim when they are asked for their name and their mother's face, as seen in the original movie. Another use is that one's body could be copied and used by an enemy as a weapon of murder with a frameup. Another similar use is that killing without forensic evidence is as simple as replacing the victim's cyberbrain with one's own and putting one's other bodies into storage, or putting one's cyberbrain into a copy of the victim's body and then impersonating the victim. There is only a mess with the last method, and no disappearance with either method. These last two methods were dramatically portrayed in Face.

Closed Shell Syndrome

Closed Shell Syndrome (Japanese: 閉殻症　(へいかくしょう), Heikakushō) is a fictional disease in "". Closed Shell Syndrome is a form of cyberbrain-induced autism (not to be confused with the "Autistic Mode" used by the cyberbrains of soldiers, which merely fully shuts down their networking functions). It occurs when users who are too compatible with cyberbrain technology eventually shut themselves off from the outside world to avoid harming others or themselves by forcibly accessing their cyberbrains. CSS patients tend to be savants with extremely high computer skills, and are often used to build and deconstruct network barriers.

Cyberbrain Sclerosis

Cyberbrain sclerosis (Japanese: 電脳硬化症　(でんのうこうかしょう), Dennōkōkashō)is a fictional disease introduced in "". The disease is characterized by hardening of the brain tissues precipitated by the cyberization process. As no cure officially exists, cyberbrain sclerosis is always fatal. Although the odds of symptoms manifesting are exceedingly low, anyone that has a cyberbrain is potentially at risk – and just about every productive member of society has one. A major part of the plot in "GitS:SAC" is the suppression of the Murai vaccine in favor of Micromachine treatment. Although the Murai vaccine was an undeniable and highly effective treatment for cyberbrain sclerosis, the mechanism by which it worked was never identified. Micromachines, however, held great promise as a highly versatile technology, although it was still in its infancy at the time. Certain company and government officials believed that if the vaccine was released, it would hinder the development of micromachine technology. Thus, it was denied approval for public use.

The development of micromachine technology in search of a cure for cyberbrain sclerosis eventually led to the development of many highly important (not to mention highly profitable) technologies- the Japanese Miracle (a micromachine that can remove radioactive fallout from areas contaminated by nuclear weapons) and Interceptors (symbiotic micromachines that turn their unwitting hosts into living covert listening devices), just to name two. However at the time in which the series takes place, despite years of research the development of micromachine technology has yet to produce even a mediocre treatment for cyberbrain sclerosis - and cyberbrain sclerosis patients continue to be used as guinea pigs in the development of future micromachine technology.

Later, it is revealed that Hisashi Imakurusu, the man who personally denied approval for the vaccine, was himself in the final stages of the disease. The only reason he continues to live is that he receives the vaccine regularly as part of a top-secret distribution program available only to high-ranking private citizens and public officials. It is a scandal of "literally" incomparable magnitude: the majority of the populace receiving ineffective treatments to an otherwise terminal disease just so politicians and company executives can develop new technologies, while the only effective treatment is only available to those same politicians and executives.

This is what compelled the Laughing Man to kidnap and threaten Imakurusu. Imakurusu had dedicated his life to finding a cure for cyberbrain sclerosis, only to have the amateur Murai usurp him completely by accident. Although Imakurusu had privately felt that he would have approved the vaccine if Murai had been able to discover why it worked, the Laughing Man believed that the dual motivations of greed and jealousy led him to suppress it. The existence of a custom-crafted 'approval denied' stamp would lead many to agree with him.

Murai Vaccine

The Murai Vaccine is a fictional drug first appearing in the popular anime series "". It is the only known effective treatment for Cyberbrain Sclerosis, a rare but debilitating and ultimately lethal affliction to which all users of cyberbrain technology are at risk.

Its creator, Chitose Murai, was not actively involved in cyberbrain sclerosis research at the time, and discovered the vaccine entirely by accident while providing basic care to cyberbrain sclerosis patients. However, prior to the discovery of the vaccine, the most promising treatment for Cyberbrain Sclerosis was micromachine technology, which was anticipated to have numerous ancillary applications. Corporations with investments in micromachine research feared that an alternative treatment would disrupt or even prevent the development of this technology, and secretly applied political pressure to suppress the vaccine. Ultimately, they were successful: the Murai Vaccine was denied approval by the Japanese government. Of course this was not public knowledge; the government's official explanation for their refusal to approve the drug for public use was that Murai (a general practitioner who lacked the resources or even training to perform complex research and was obviously unable to gain corporate support) was unable to identify the mechanism by which it worked. Murai himself, demoralised and broken, died from the blow of the disapproval.

The creation and suppression of the fictional Murai Vaccine has its origin in an actual series of events that occurred in Japan in the 1960-70's. The Maruyama Vaccine, also known as Specific Substance Maruyama or SSM, attracted attention as a supposed treatment for cancer. However, the Ministry of Health and Welfare Pharmaceutical Affairs Council refused to approve its use, as its inventor was not an actual cancer researcher. However, the effectiveness of the vaccine is undetermined, as is the existence of a conspiracy to prevent its use.