Decoherence

Decoherence is a limitation of life extension technology that affects evolved minds, such as human minds. It begins to become evident after around 200-250 years of continued consciousness, and stems from the nature of evolved neural networks, which are not designed for the negation of accumulative entropy. Its symptoms are similar to, but slower than dementia, and the progressive cognitive decline it creates is irreversible. Decoherence is a fundamental property of the architecture of the substratic network of an evolved mind, and is hence not treatable by upload to a synthetic body; true artificial intelligences are immune to the effects of decoherence, and are as such "cognitively immortal". Many corporations, including BioCorp, have attempted to develop treatments for decoherence, but few have been successful, or only succeeded in delaying, but not stopping, the process. Researchers have found informational similarities between decoherence-affected minds and minds affected by The Erosion, but decoherence is not informationally contagious.

The only truly curative treatment for decoherence is pattern ablation via a substratic interface. The Aegis Institute, Dreams Intelligence, and Black Research have succeeded in treating decoherence via Precursor technology, but performing such a treatment is extremely dangerous. Imperfect methods of treatment run the risk of resulting in drastic personality changes, erasing memories, or rendering the patient braindead. Shannon Taylor, the director of Black Research, applied experimental anti-decoherence therapy to her own brain, allowing her to survive for over 400 years. A caveat of decoherence is the "clock" does not run when one is unconscious, so one can be placed into stasis without damage accumulating.