Neural inhibitor

Neural inhibitors^[1][2][3] (also known as neuro-adjusters^[4] or psychic dampeners^[5]) are cybernetic implants that were used by the Confederate Ghost Program (and later, the Dominion) to control their ghost agents through keeping their aggression levels and behavioral patterns in check.^[6] These devices weaken their psionic powers,^[5] and by extension, make it easier for ghosts to screen out the thoughts of other individuals.^[7] Implanted in the brain, neural inhibitors can regulate brain and blood chemestry and reroute neural pathways in order to keep the ghost's emotional state in check.^[8] The implants can be fatal^[9] and their method of operation is very similar to neural resocialization,^[4] but "much worse".^[10]

The location of neural inhibitors can be tracked by some officers, both Confederate^[10] and Dominion.^[11] The implantation process leaves scarred tissue.^[8]

The drawback to neural inhibitors is that they can be surgically removed,^[4] or in rare cases, malfunction.^[12] Upon the defection of Sarah Kerrigan, psychic dampeners were abandoned by the Confederacy in favor of the more effective memory wipe technique.^[13] However, previously-implanted ghosts (such as Devon Starke) usually did not have their dampeners removed.^[3] Ghosts who retained them that became spectres under Project Shadow Blade had their inhibitors removed in order to avoid detection.^[11] Some ghosts have used their psionic powers to disable their inhibitors, though such a procedure comes at a great risk.^[8]

The Dominion utilizes both the mind wipe technique and neural inhibitors.^[7]

After the End War, the Terran Dominion developed a device that could partially undo the effects of memory alteration by delivering an electric pulse through a neural inhibitor.^[14]

Variants[]

Some variants of neural inhibitors can suppress or reshape a disloyal ghost's memory and render them susceptible to orders.^[4]

By 2503 the Terran Dominion had developed a specialized variant, the psi-inhibitor, to limit protoss psionic abilities.^[15]

Modified neural inhibitor technology continues to be used by the Church of Besainted Pelagius to enforce obedience among its disciples, the technology taken from a ghost sent to terminate the movement.^[16]

References[]