SCP-2001-EX

Figure 1. Section of human hippocampus, with SCP-2001-EX neurons labeled with blue fluorescent DAPI stain.

Item #: SCP-2001-EX

Object Class: Explained

Special Containment Procedures: Foundation agents embedded within institutions of higher learning, especially those working in the departments of Molecular & Cellular Biology, Neuroscience, and Cognitive Science, are to suppress or disavow research into SCP-2001-EX and its interactions with cognitohazardous sensory input. Foundation employees in corporate R&D, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health are to deny grant proposals for such research. Database crawler AS7739 has been assigned to delete or hide publications and scholarly references to SCP-2001-EX.
SCP-2001-EX containment procedures are synonymous with standard cognitohazard containment protocol. No additional resources are required.

Description: SCP-2001-EX consists of ganglia 00344R-15364X and 40583A-65290M¹, found within the human lateral geniculate nucleus and primary auditory cortex, which are responsible for the detrimental effects of at least 80% of known cognitohazardous images and audio.

Although the regions of the brain activated by these cognitohazards are readily observable via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) scans, their mechanism of action is not yet clear.

Addendum 2001-EX-1: Following the success of both mundane² and GOI/Foundation³ neuroscience research, SCP-2001-EX has been classified as Explained.
Further details are restricted to Level 5/2001-EX and above.

[INPUT LEVEL 5/2001-EX SECURITY CREDENTIALS]

Item #: SCP-2001

Object Class: Thaumiel

Special Containment Procedures: Proposed modifications to SCP-2001 may be submitted to the O5 council biannually by Dr. Alyssa Ibaraki and the current Memetics Division Head. The O5 council is no longer accepting additional proposals at this time.
Testing of potential modifications to SCP-2001 is restricted to the item's HMCL supervisor and Level 5/2001 or higher at Site-17.
Humans with neural archetype scans that do not match current SCP-2001 specifications, with the exception of [REDACTED], are to be apprehended, questioned, and terminated.

Description: SCP-2001 consists of ganglia 00344R-15364X, 40583A-65290M, ████████████, ████████████, and ████████████⁴, found within the human lateral geniculate nucleus, auditory cortices, medial temporal lobe, ████████████, and ████████████, which have been designed to trigger the detrimental effects of at least 80% of known cognitohazardous images and audio.
For a more complete description of SCP-2001 biochemistry, see Document 2001-c.

History:
The initial proposal for SCP-2001 was made 1/17/████.

Proposal: As the size and scope of the SCP Foundation expands, RAISA is having a harder time maintaining information security. Symmetric key schemes (e.g. AES, N = 256) are no longer viable due to the difficulty of sharing keys securely, and public-key encryption (e.g. RSA, ECC) is vulnerable to both ordinary and anomalous quantum computers⁵. It's a miracle that the number of leaks by hostile GOIs, enterprising whistleblowers, or just Foundation employees with too much curiosity and too little clearance has been so few.

The existence of mundane stimuli that can produce desirable mental states - blue light for suppressing circadian rhythms, LSD for enhanced suggestibility and ego dissolution, or the infrasonic 17 Hz tone experiment - suggests the human brain is highly vulnerable to…intervention. If we can discover the right kind of vulnerabilities, we can protect our data with mental deterrents - cognition-hazards, if you will - against unauthorized consumers. Imagine an eye-aversion response in low-clearance documents, all the way up to killsprites in the top-secret stuff. We have an entire department already dedicated to studying mind-affecting anomalies. I just need the go-ahead to start trying things out.
- Dr. Alyssa Ibaraki, Memetics Division Researcher⁶

On 06/14/████, the proposal was approved for preliminary testing by Site Director ████████.

Below is a selection of SCP-2001 preliminary testing. For full testing logs, see Document 2001-1.
Testing Log 2001-1

Subject: D-0992
Input: Series of flickering white lights at 10Hz, displayed on a CRT monitor for 1 hour.
Result: Mild nausea. Lingering perception that lights were flickering even after monitor was turned off for approximately 5 minutes. Within expected Bucha effect bounds.

Subject: D-1887
Input: Clean audio transcription of select passages from SCP-███.
Result: No effect. Subject amnesticized to avoid information breach.

Subject: D-3221
Input: A mixture of crushed rose petals and peat, held under subject's nose for 3 minutes.
Result: Subject stated that the scent reminded him of his childhood. When pressed, he explained that it was likely due to the fact that his mother used to tend to a local flower garden with him. Subject-specific result, not noteworthy.

Subject: D-4545
Input: 2mM allyl isothiocyanate⁷, applied to subject's tongue.
Result: Subject reported a loss in the high sodium aversion response⁸. Follow-up discovered that this was attributed to a local biochemical effect. Results handed off to a mundane research group⁹.

Researcher Note: I don't know why I thought we would get lucky with some kind of untapped well - if "cognito-hazards" were that simple, people would have discovered them by accident already. I guess all those mind-affecting SCPs really are called anomalous for a reason.
- Dr. Alyssa Ibaraki, Memetics Division Researcher

We should have stopped here.
Follow-up: Researcher Ibaraki has been given authorization to experiment with D-class subjects in order to determine whether human neurological makeup can be altered, within an acceptable degree of deviation, to be susceptible to "cognitohazardous" stimuli.

Figure 2. Cross-section of human brain at early iteration ███. Monstrous.

Below is a selection of notable genomic/proteomic modifications proposed and tested by Researcher Ibaraki. The goal was not only to confirm that modified D-class were now susceptible to desired cognitohazardous inputs, but also that there were no long-term side-effects or undesired aberrations in their behavior.

For full testing logs, see Document 2001-2.
Testing Log 2001-2

Taste

Taste is the most straightforward of the chemoreceptive senses. I think the primary gustatory nucleus (Brodmann's area 36) is a promising target. - Dr. Ibaraki

Subjects: D-3250 through D-3798
Procedure 1.1: MKZ3 protein expression was upregulated by ganglion 3208F-J with miRNA, reinforcing transient CaMKII and PKC activation for early-form long-term potentiation in the medulla oblongata and basal telencephalon.
Intended susceptibilities: Taste-induced excitation and inhibition of swallowing, salivation, gagging, vomiting. Palatability suggestion and aversion learning.
Confirmed susceptibilities: The following cognitohazards were discovered as notable proof-of-concept vulnerabilities.

• Recipe for corned beef brisket, page 37 of Site-██ cafeteria cookbook, "Never SCP a Meal with ████████!", with 37 milligrams of Demerara sugar substituted for [REDACTED]: Warped velar stops in speech. Difficulty swallowing. Potential application in disrupting vocalization of the Old Daevite language.

Observed results: The remaining subjects were amnesticized and released to civilian life under observation. No signification aberrations in behavior or health were noted at 6-month, 1-year, and 5-year checkpoints. No known cognitohazards were triggered by accident. No de-novo cognitohazards were discovered.
Follow-up: Not approved for implementation, as gustatory cognitohazards are not a significant improvement over conventional oral drugs. We're just fools playing at God.

HMCL Note: Unfortunately, when it comes to information security, taste is impractical. Humans don't usually take in information by eating things¹⁰, and we're not going to get people to ingest dubious mixtures of food alongside their weekly reports. Findings forwarded to MTF Lambda-14 ("One Star Reviewers").
- Dr. Matthew Chen, HMCL Supervisor

Smell

Human olfaction is poor by animal standards, but it is still capable of distinguishing some couple hundred thousand odors. More importantly, the olfactory bulb is part of the limbic system, which regulates emotional response¹¹. - Dr. Ibaraki

Subjects: D-5135 through D-8215
Procedure 2.2: Developmental hypnotherapy was used to manually encode select narrative motifs¹² to certain odors.
Intended susceptibilities: Smell-induced recall of narrative motifs and formation of false trope-based memories on suggestion.
Confirmed susceptibilities:

• Wood pulp and decayed Ascomycete fungus brought to 5 degrees C: Dread of the "dead cannot speak unless spoken to" and "dead holy man begs grave-digger not to bury sinner on top of him" motifs. Suppression of suicidal ideation.
• Mixture of crushed rose petals, peat, and [REDACTED]: Recall of false memory concerning a deadly childhood car crash into a flower garden. Exposed subjects vividly remembered climbing out of the vehicle and seeing blood on the surrounding roses. Sudden desire to see one's mother.
• [DATA EXPUNGED]: Recall of false memory concerning a chance meeting with a childhood friend, usually a blonde Eastern European female.

Observed results: The remaining subjects were amnesticized and released to civilian life under observation. No signification aberrations in behavior or health were noted at 6-month, 1-year, and 5-year checkpoints. Known cognitohazards were triggered by accident ██ times. No de-novo cognitohazards were discovered. [REDACTED] currently under investigation as potential SCP.
Follow-up: Approved for implementation.

HMCL Note: Aerosols and vapors are too messy to dispense and clean up. Procedures 2.2 and ██ have been approved only because they provide limbic system access.
- Dr. Matthew Chen, HMCL Supervisor

Touch

With touch, we're not only considering input from the mechanoreceptors for physical contact, but also for pain, temperature, and proprioception. - Dr. Ibaraki

Subjects: D-1844 through D-2005
Procedure 3.4: VEGF-dependent migration of pyramidal neuron axons from trigeminal nerves¹³ to hippocampus and medial dorsal nucleus were promoted by downregulation of siRNA interference.
Intended susceptibilities: Touch-induced manipulation of bodily-ownership, bodily self-awareness, and social experience.
Confirmed susceptibilities:

• Pulling back left canthus¹⁴ for 45 seconds with metal forceps: Triggered parasite aversion response. Subject D-1991, for example, reported that "there was a burning, dark worm wriggling underneath [her] iris" and expressed a desire to self-quarantine.
• Kissing ██████████████: Strong and consistent oxytocin release. 20% of exposed subjects considered the applicant of the kiss a platonic friend, 25% as a maternal/paternal figure, and 50% as a non-platonic romantic target. Proportions approach 98% being in the "non-platonic attraction" stage after 3-5 exposures to the cognitohazard.

Observed results: The remaining subjects were amnesticized and released to civilian life under observation. At the 5-year checkpoint, D-████ was found deceased in his home; SCP-632 was discovered and contained at this location.
Follow-up: Not approved for implementation. Further investigation is needed as to whether SCP-632 was a pre-existing parasite, or evolved to take advantage of Procedure 3.4. Approved for implementation.

Researcher Note: I don't recommend implementing any of these procedures until we can figure out how SCP-632 and its unusual method of reproduction arose. Evolutionarily, it's a very fast acquisition. We need to keep an eye out for any sudden upswing in memetic SCPs.
- Dr. Alyssa Ibaraki

Hearing

Like touch, hearing is a mechanosensory ability. If we can take advantage of our findings from Procedure 3.8 and apply them to the primary auditory cortex (Brodmann's area 41) we can intervene on how intensity and frequency are transduced. - Dr. Ibaraki

Subjects: D-0038 through D-1103
Procedure 4.3: Unilateral cortical lesions were surgically cut along the striate cortex and lined with phase-locked neurons leading to the pons.
Intended susceptibilities: Sound-induced inhibition of cardiac and respiratory function, and disruption of neural oscillation.
Confirmed susceptibilities:

• Alley-Shwartz audiohazard 3: Reported ticking¹⁵. Psychomotor agitation and eventual cardiac arrest.
• McPhee AH 9: Auditory command hallucination to "shut the door and walk away." Most subjects, in the absence of a door, also opted to close books, computer terminals, etc. Notably, D-0090 lost the ability to lucid dream following exposure, when before he could do so at will.

Observed results: The remaining subjects were amnesticized and released to civilian life under observation. No signification aberrations in behavior or health were noted at 6-month, 1-year, and 5-year checkpoints. No known cognitohazards were triggered by accident. No de-novo cognitohazards were discovered.
Follow-up: Approved for implementation.

Subjects: D-1138 through D-2250
Procedure 4.5: SCP-███ was introduced to the cytoplasmic streams of pyramidal cells in the primary auditory cortex, frontal lobe, and Wernicke's area.
Intended susceptibilities: Sound-induced manipulation of higher language processing.
Confirmed susceptibilities:

• Quixote AH 4: Loss of inner speech ("internal dialogue").
• SCREECH: Incessant and dehabilitating tinnitus, which did not abate after any length of time or following Class-A amnestic application.

Observed results: The remaining subjects were amnesticized and released to civilian life under observation. No signification aberrations in behavior or health were noted at 6-month, 1-year, and 5-year checkpoints. No known cognitohazards were triggered by accident. No de-novo cognitohazards were discovered. See SCP-███.
Follow-up: Approved for implementation. Note the potential for dissident and general population control.

HMCL Note: Auditory cognitohazards are finally something we can easily embed in our records. They can be used offensively or defensively against large crowds of people, too. Excellent job.
- Dr. Matthew Chen, HMCL Supervisor

Sight

Visual cognitohazards are the big one. Fortunately, we now have the expertise to target the lateral geniculate nucleus and striate complex efficiently. - Dr. Ibaraki

Subjects: D-3248 through D-7200
Procedure 5.9: Injection of cytochrome oxidase blobs into striate cortex layers II through VI, extended through to the cerebellum and prefrontal cortex.
Intended susceptibilities: Sight-induced control of somatic nervous system and general executive function.
Confirmed susceptibilities:

• Shikibu visualhazard: Stifled ability to produce self-deceptive thoughts.
• Rao-Heat infopattern: Increased receptiveness to mind-body dualism¹⁶ and decreased receptiveness to divine command metaethics¹⁷.
• Adamec VH 8: Subjects rode a bicycle to the nearest home-improvement store and purchased five smoke alarms and the components for an improvised explosive.

Observed results: The remaining subjects were amnesticized and released to civilian life under observation. No signification aberrations in behavior or health were noted at 6-month, 1-year, and 5-year checkpoints. No known cognitohazards were triggered by accident. ██ de-novo cognitohazards were discovered.
Follow-up: Approved for implementation.

Subjects: D-4020 through D-5123
Procedure 5.10: NGF was used to induce growth of a retinofugal projection to the hypothalamus. For each of the below agents, a set of grandmother cells were cultivated in the LGN corresponding to the visual cognitohazard cue.
Intended susceptibilities: Sight-induced inhibition of autonomic function and general pattern formation.
Confirmed susceptibilities:

• Kandel deterrent: Produced strong and persistent belief that most of one's memories have been tampered with or fabricated.
• Berryman-Langford kill agent: Visual and auditory hallucinations, followed by fatal brain hemorrhage within 5-10 minutes.
• DAMMERUNG visual agent: Disorientation and loss of consciousness. Permanent disruption of gamma waves.

Observed results: The remaining subjects were amnesticized and released to civilian life under observation. One notable incident of D-4998's gamma wave pattern being disrupted by an oscillating flash of sunlight as he drove along a tree-lined road; D-4998 experienced a seizure and was killed in the crash. No known cognitohazards were triggered by accident. No de-novo cognitohazards were discovered.
Follow-up: Approved for implementation.

HMCL Note: The capabilities of these visual cognitohazards are everything we could've hoped for. And more.
I'm sure they'll be moved along to large-scale implementation in no time. Congratulations on a big step for the continued protection of Foundation secrecy and the Veil as a whole.
- Dr. Matthew Chen, HMCL Supervisor

Approved modifications are to be introduced to SCP-2000 neural archetypes and implemented in batches following K-class scenarios which necessitate the activation of Yellowstone. Below is a log of notable activations, as well as the observed results and follow-up recommendations.

For full testing logs, see Document 2001-3.
Testing Log 2001-3

Activation 1

Implemented Modifications: Vital modifications allowing for the function of lethal cognitohazards approved. Use of Foundation-approved cognitohazards restricted to infohazardous and high-security Keter, Thaumiel, and esoteric class anomalies only.

• Procedures used: 4.3, 5.10

Results: Projected likelihood of Broken Masquerade scenario decreased by 60%. Negligible increase in rate of memetic SCP discovery.
Follow-Up: Seems like those fears I had were unfounded. The number of mind-affecting anomalies is remaining stable, and the Foundation is stronger than ever. - Dr. Ibaraki

Activation █

Implemented Modifications: Further modifications allowing for function of nonlethal cognitohazards approved. Expansion of lethal cognitohazard libraries. Use of Foundation-approved cognitohazards available for general database and communications security. Use of Foundation-approved cognitohazards available for employee behavioral modification and infoprotection as well as O5-approved MTF missions.

• Procedures used: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 4.5, 5.9, 5.11, ███

Results: Projected likelihood of Broken Masquerade Scenario decreased by 20%. 25% increase in rate of memetic SCP discovery. Negligible increase in projected chance of AK-Class Madness and EK-Class End-of-Human-Consciousness scenarios. MTF Eta-10 ("See No Evil") and MTF Eta-11 ("Savage Beasts") established.
Follow-Up: I recommend a reduction in the next batch size of 35% - we need to keep an eye on this jump in memetic anomaly evolution. - Dr. Ibaraki.

Activation █

Implemented Modifications: [DATA LOST]

• Procedures used: 2.2, ███████████

Results: Emergence of Class X contagious memetic hazard Lily Veselka [DATA MISSING OR CORRUPTED. PLEASE SEE YOUR RAISA SUPERVISOR.]
Follow-Up: Very little data remains of this iteration. I highly recommend we roll back SCP-2001 modifications by a couple batches - not only are we getting decreasing returns on information security and memetic warfare capabilities, but the kind of vulnerabilities that are now present in the human noosphere are getting worrying. We may not be able to handle many more of these kinds of cognitohazardous SCPs which are popping up all over the place. - Dr. Ibaraki

O5 Response: Activation █ batch rolled back only. We do not feel that the Foundation will be capable of handling its vastly greater responsibilities should more of SCP-2001 be rescinded. - O5-7

Activation ██

Implemented Modifications: Expansion of nonlethal cognitohazard libraries. Expansion of lethal cognitohazard libraries. Use of Foundation-approved cognitohazards available for general population behavioral modification and infoprotection.

• Procedures used: ███, ███, ███, ███, ███

Results: Projected likelihood of Broken Masquerade Scenario decreased by 5%. 48% increase in rate of memetic SCP discovery. █% increase in projected chance of all K-class scenarios.
Follow-Up: There are now ███ and counting mind-affecting anomalies in containment, and that's only the ones I have clearance for. I estimate at least ██% are piggybacking off of SCP-2001. This is no longer sustainable. - Dr. Ibaraki

O5 Response: Average human CRV¹⁸ is projected to rise in response soon. Additionally, the evolution of more mind-affecting anomalies should soon mean that a "microbiome" of innocuous memes should soon suppress the more dangerous SCPs by outcompetition. We have no reason to believe that the current rate of high-risk SCP discovery will continue. - O5-12

Document 2001-4 is a list of humans permitted to have deprecated brain archetypes. Do not attempt access beyond this point unless you are also SCP-2001 Exempt.
[SCP-2001 EXEMPT PERSONNEL EYES ONLY, LETHAL COGNITOHAZARD IN EFFECT]
Do you like how we've made them, Administrator?

Footnotes

1. Foundation Internal Anomalous Connectome Register ver. 1.0.14.

2. Van Bogaert et al. "Epileptic encephalopathy with continuous spike-waves during slow-wave sleep" and the Human Connectome Project.

3. Alpha-Gru-Kappa Report on ████-Induced Cerebrovascular Stroke.

4. Foundation Internal Anomalous Connectome Register ver. 1.2.16.

5. RSA-2048 can be cracked by Site-15's SCP-███ in logarithmic time, ~10 seconds, for example.

6. At the time of this proposal, the term "memetic" referred to all mind-affecting anomalous phenomena, and was not a qualification of transmissibility.

7. A mustard oil extract.

8. In which extremely salty flavors, >500mM NaCl, taste bitter.

9. Oka, Y., Butnaru, M., von Buchholtz, L. et al. High salt recruits aversive taste pathways. Nature 494, 472–475 (2013), https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11905

10. Researcher Response: Alphabet soup - Dr. Ibaraki

11. Researcher Note: I'm surprised more memetic SCPs don't target our sense of smell, actually - it's a fast track to formative memories and traumatic experiences. - Dr. Ibaraki

12. See Document 2001-2a; Stith Thompson, "Motif-Index of Folk Literature", (Bloomington, Indiana, 2016), https://archive.org/details/Thompson2016MotifIndex/

13. Nerves concerning somatosensation on the face.

14. Corner where upper and lower eyelids meet.

15. This statement has been flagged for potential memetic corruption.

16. The theory that mental phenomena are non-physical, and mind and body are separate.

17. Systems where actions are morally good if and only if they are commanded by one's Creator, such as the Abrahamic religions.

18. Cognitive Resistance Value

‡ Licensing / Citation

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"SCP-2001-EX" by Annabelle Dillard, from the SCP Wiki. Source: https://scpwiki.com/scp-2001-ex. Licensed under CC-BY-SA.

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