Hard science zombies?

[Philomath]

To throw a curve to my group I want to hit them with shambling mindless people driven by hunger. The curve comes from not having a supernatural cause for the mindless hunger. The people also don't have to be dead (so zombie might not be technically accurate).

My question is: is it plausible to have a chemical or disease kill off or disable a big part of the brain or higher functions of a person such that the person's remaining abilities cause them to act in a manner similar to your traditional shambling hungry mindless horde?

This is in a fantasy game where all the threats have been magical, mystical, or fantastical. I'd like to be able to lift the reasoning whole-cloth and drop it into a modern day hard science game though.

[Eltharon]

I imagine that it would work without straining disbelief. I'm not a neuroscientist, so I can't give a scientific answer. Though they would be just as vulnerable to getting shot/stabbed as a normal human, maybe a human on PCP. And they'd be vulnerable to starvation and disease.

[Ulzgoroth]

There's rabies, so making creatures dumb, erratic, and aggressive can definitely happen via disease. Horde behavior is less likely, but probably within the realm of possibility.

Possibility is all, though. I can't really see how an infectious disease that causes the afflicted to group together in obviously unhealthy and dangerous bands would ever evolve, given how sharply that cuts into the ability to infect new hosts. Similarly, killing any healthy person encountered...that's a good way to guarantee that your first horde is your last ever.

[Agemegos]

Parkinsonism (as distinct from Parkinson's disease) is a fairly common symptom with a wide range of causes (including some toxins, I think), and that'll give you shambling gait: also mask-like, expressionless faces.

Next you need aphasia, general cognitive deficit, and disinhibition. Those all all fairly non-specific symptoms.

Aggressiveness/impulse control. I'm no neurologist, but frontal lobe damage might be a place to start. Or the infective agent could produce a testosterone analogue. That's nasty.

Hunger. Hunger might do, when too few people are well to nurse the sick.

[Philomath]

Ulzgoroth: As far as disease goes a non-viable (from the point of view of the disease anyway) chance mutation is fine. This is just a time filling side track while the next story arc winds up. Thanks for reminding me of rabies, I'll look into it more.

Mad Douglas: I'm not running any high tech games but I'll be sure to put a note in my notes about nanites as a cause in case I use this scenario again in the future.

I thought about parasites first. My group would probably hit on that as a cause right after they ruled out magic and curses. They're much more into zombie movies than I am for the most part (one of my players is a walking encyclopedia of that genre).

Agemegos: Parkinsonism and testosterone. Excellent lines for more research!

Thanks guys. I knew I could count on the forums for help. Keep the ideas and suggestions coming!

[Snargash Moonclaw]

Gotta love scientists with a sense of humor.
The journal is real (and excellent), the article on the other hand, well, I thought it was excellent too. . . The concept of a virus (named Solanum) has been well developed in the last couple of years.
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Requested and Answered by MadDog on 24-Nov-2005 04:23 (929 reads)
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[Dangerious P. Cats]

You could certainly have a virus that causes certain sections of the brain to break down. At first it just kills higher reasoning and increases aggression, then co-ordination breaks down, causing the shambling and general zombie traits. This means there are grades of zombie, depending on how progressed the virus is.

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by Dangerious P. Cats

You could certainly have a virus that causes certain sections of the brain to break down.

Viruses are more likely to be generalised to a tissue type and not specialised to an anatomical location. A virus particle can't tell or control where it is. What you would need would be a virus that attacked certain specialised tissues in the brain rather than certain sections of the brain as such.

Parasites might be the way to go for attacking particular parts of the brain in order. Or of course you can do the best you can with non-specific symptoms, and a minimum of highly-specific effects.

At first it just kills higher reasoning and increases aggression, then co-ordination breaks down, causing the shambling and general zombie traits. This means there are grades of zombie, depending on how progressed the virus is.

Sounds like progress from the front of the brain to the back, to me.

If Solanum is responsible, expect to find potatoes in the brain case and tomatoes and eggplants growing out of the ears. Just sayin'.

[Randover]

I would advice religion - some cult cult could go grazy + if there are in tranze or drugged it would be realy nice...

[Snargash Moonclaw]

Originally Posted by Randover

I would advice religion - some cult cult could go grazy + if there are in tranze or drugged it would be realy nice...

a variant of ergotism perhaps? Some aspects of the actual disease could account for some of the myths (much like speculation of porphyria and vampires. . .).