Future Challenges to the BTWC: Neuroscience

Future Challenges to the BTWC: Neuroscience • SIPRI workshop 5/6.03.11 • Steven Rose • s.p.r.rose@open.ac.uk

Themes • 1. Current developments in neuroscience • 2. Likely relevant neurotech developments • 3. Five dichotomies • 4. Emerging issues relevant to BTWC

Genetic Manipulation • Knock out, knock in mouse models • Human genome, • Epigenomics, proteomics etc

Windows into the brain • fMRI • MEG • ERP • PET

Smart pharmacology • Smart pharmacology and single photon confocal microscopy

The coming decades • Four technoscientific developments of potential significance to conflict and control

1. Human-machine interfaces • Visual and other prostheses • Implanted chips • Transcranial magnetic stimulation

2. Psychopathic Brains?

3. Brain imaging for surveillance • “How do we determine if a person is a terrorist or spy? There is a new technology, that ..allows us to measure scientifically if specific information is stored in a person’s brain. Brain Fingerprinting technology can determine the presence or absence of specific information, such as terrorist training and associations. This exciting new technology can help…. • discover if a person: • Has committed terrorist acts • Has been trained as a terrorist • Is a terrorist leader…. (from the company website)

4. New psychochemicals • Greater behavioural insights leading to new control technologies • Rational drug design to interact with neurotransmitters, receptors, affecting central and peripheral nervous system • New methods of delivery for peptides etc

Five Conflict/Control Dichotomies • Lethal/ ‘Non-lethal’ • Military/ Civilian • Enhancing/ Degrading • Physical/(Bio)Chemical • CNS/PNS

Lethal/ ‘Non-Lethal’ • Lethal – nerve gases, toxins etc. • Already covered by conventions – no new issues from neuroscience although new genetic technologies make possible wider range of specific toxins? Targeted ‘ethnic weapons’? • ‘Non-Lethal’ aka ‘Riot Control’ • Agents that incapacitate, disorientate, induce pain or loss of consciousness • Many new issues

Military/Civilian • Present conventions deal with military uses – do not cover uses in civil conflict, by police etc. • Thus a grey area – witness past and current events in Russia, Israel/Palestine, Libya ….. • In general such civil conflict uses employ ‘non-lethal’ agents though often in contexts in which they are far from non-lethal • Many nations have active ‘non-lethal’ research programmes – ambiguous civil/military intentions

Enhancement /Degradation • Neuroscience advances offer military technologies of enhancement to one’s own side – eg brain/computer interfaces, cognitive and attention enhancers (eg ritalin, modafanil) • as well as technologies of degradation to opponents – again only degradation considered here

Potential Physical (non CB) Weaponry aimed at neural systems • Trans-cranial magnetic stimulation • Directed energy (microwaves, lasers etc) • Acoustic energy (sound blasters) • ‘Active denial’ • etc (see Davison: ‘Non-lethal’ weapons, 2009; RS report 2011) • Some in current production and use (eg IDF) • Some under US, Czech, German contracts (Davison 2009, BMA 2007) • Much snake-oil

Active Denial Technology • ‘a breakthrough non-lethal technology that uses millimetre-wave electromagnetic energy to stop, deter and turn back an advancing adversary from relatively long range… ADT exploits intolerance of thermally induced pain..maximised at a temperature of 550C’ but ‘does not burn’.. • developed by Communications and Power Industries, Palo Alto • 2004 - system delivered by Raytheon to US military • Press release states device meets approved human and animal research protocols (!) • (Girard, 2005)

The Scream Weapon • Bil’in, near Ramallah, June 6 2005 • “new weapon knocks crowds off feet” • “the knees buckle high technology toolkit”, the brain aches, the stomach turns..the latest weapon in the Israeli army’s toolkit” • (Press reports)

(Bio)Chemical agents aimed at PNS • Tear gasses etc in this category: • Enhanced CS • Pepper ball (PAVA; capsaicin) • Agents causing temporary blindness or neuromuscular relaxation/paralysis • Nb all can be lethal

The Pepperball • IDF attack on peaceful Israeli and Palestinian protest against the Wall, 28 April 05 • “a small transparent red plastic ball …containing a creamy white powder.. when it hits the skin and explodes produces an extreme burning sensation” • (Giacaman, 2005)

Definitions for CNS non-lethals • Highly potent • Duration hours to days but effects transient • Reversible effects • Low ED50, High LD50 • (but impossible in practice) • Logistically feasible - i.e skin or breath absorbable, cross BBB, weaponisable

‘Non-Lethal’ agents aimed at CNS • ‘off the rocker’ or ‘on the floor’ (Davison) • Incapacitating/calmative (thiopental, diazepam) • Sedative –hypnotic (barbiturates) • anxiolytic • Convulsant • Disorienting (BZ – muscarinic antagonist, other hallucinogens) • Paralysing/anaesthetic/analgesic (opioids, fentanyl)

Potential novel agents • Non-cholinergic or opioid agonists/antagonists • Receptor/reuptake inhibitors • ‘Memory erasers’ (anti-CREB etc) • ‘Trust inducers’ (oxytocin etc) • ‘Mood-modifiers’ • Derived from non-traditional drugs – peptides, proteins, ge toxins etc

Future Challenges to the BTWC: Neuroscience