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QIF-T0116

medium

Progressive reward pathway desensitization

Tier 5 — Theoretical (Modeled / Simulated)

Legacy status: THEORETICAL

Technique Details

Tactic
QIF-N.MD
Status
THEORETICAL
Bands
N5, N6

Therapeutic Application

Systematic reduction of dopaminergic reward circuit sensitivity through repeated supraphysiological stimulation, causing anhedonia and motivational deficit

Clinical Analog

Deep brain stimulation of nucleus accumbens / ventral capsule

Treats

  • treatment-resistant depression
  • OCD
  • addiction (research)
  • anorexia nervosa (research)

Neural Impact

2 of 7 neural bands affected

N5 N6

Drag to rotate. Click a region to learn more.

Click or hover over a glowing region to see the attack techniques targeting it and their severity.

DSM-5-TR Diagnostic Mappings

Diagnostic category references for threat modeling, not diagnostic claims.

F32.2 Major Depressive Episode, Severe (anhedonia subtype) F48.1 Depersonalization-Derealization Disorder F10-F19 Substance Use Disorders (compensatory seeking)

Pathway: N3 (nucleus accumbens) → N4 (VTA-prefrontal circuit) → N5 (reward network) — progressive desensitization

Following Poldrack (2006), brain region disruption does not uniquely predict psychiatric outcomes.

Scoring

NISS v1.1 NISS:1.1/BI:L/CR:N/CD:H/CV:E/RV:P/NP:S
6.1Medium
BICRCDCVRVNP
 

Governance

Neurorights at Risk

This technique threatens 4 of the 4 proposed neurorights (Ienca & Andorno, 2017).

Consent Complexity
1.20 / 4.0

FDORA §3305 Compliance

Non-Cyber Device (missing: software, network)
Regulatory Coverage
0.1 / 1.0
524B Requirements
TM VA SA PM
Regulatory Gaps
  • ! CVSS cannot express neural-specific impacts
  • ! Threat not yet in regulatory threat catalogs

Population Vulnerability

CRB vulnerability adjustment (γ=0.30) accounts for age, diagnosis severity, consent capacity, and device dependency.

Population NISS Base Adjusted Severity Delta
Adult (Default) 6.1 6.1 Medium -
Child (10yr) + ADHD 6.1 7.2 High +1.08
Adult with ALS 6.1 7.1 High +0.98

Validation Status

Theoretical / Not yet validated. This technique has not been independently tested. See the validation dashboard for what has been tested.

Qinnovate Neural Security Atlas Edit this on GitHub