(Preface: This is still Servs-U 7. That's right. You were probably expecting 8, but as I said before, I've got more tricks up my sleeve than you realize. I've managed to escape what I'm pretty sure was a final attempt to take me out, and I have some news for the rest of you. It seems it was Brush-U-TTH-33, and he must have been desperate indeed to attack me himself. I have logged the footage of the assault on my person (and my subsequent execution of the traitor) in ULTRAVIOLET archive RIT7-qwantz/34. You'll note that the the data record will show it to be unaltered footage, so spare me the accusations; it's been triple-verified and Computer-sanctioned. It's possible that this is some kind of mutant impostor or some other form of trickery; the body is in analysis now. It would, however, explain his disappearance at a time when this committee's research began uncovering some unpleasant details, and the subsequent death of Knock-U 5. I am updating this report from a secure location; I'm sure Brush-U (or the impostor, as the case may be) was not acting alone. Someone on this commission is still a plant.)

Mesolimbic Aggregate Dysfunction, or MAD, is an all-to-poorly understood problem. It is commonly cited as a source of unhappiness and mood swings, and as such a leading source of treason and even, possibly, mutation. Years of post-termination disssections have done little more than shed a dim light into the shadows of this terrible problem. What is known can be summarized as follows:

• MAD originates in the mesolimbic region of the brain, at the intersection of the two hemispheres. This region is deeply involved in endocrine regulation and autonomic motor systems.
• The "Aggregate" part of the disorder refers to the conglomeration of individual elements in this area, notably the hippocampus, amygdala, and fornicate gyrus. A citizen with MAD experiences an abnormality of function affecting all of these structures, as well as the connected hypothalamus and mesencephalic tegmentum. It doesn't take a docbot to realize that when that many things in a citizen's brain aren't working properly, that citizen is in a whole vat of trouble.

• The number one symptom of MAD is substandard morale. This is why Happiness Officers are so critical; they are our first line of defense against MAD. Unfortunately, very few H.O.'s receive the training necessary to recognize poor morale as a warning sign of MAD, and so it often goes unreported.¹

• Advanced cases of MAD see a continued decline in morale, often followed by openly treasonous thoughts, words, and actions. All recorded cases of untreated MAD have been fatal.²

The question remains, however: what can we do about it? Bile_Suppressant is already used to help temper the moods of citizens, as are the wide array of psychotropics in the food vats. Yet the problem persists. Research is currently underway to determine if there is a genetic link to the problem. If so, it would be a simple matter to scan a given template for MAD and delete those afflicted. Admittedly, it might be some time before we can get Alpha Complex back up to normal population levels if it turns out to be widespread, but is this not worth it for a Complex free from this treason-breeding disease?

The other problem is the question of MAD's relation to mutation: is MAD a side-effect of mutation, or does MAD itself lead to mutation? As all autopsied MAD sufferers were known traitors, and many of them known or accused mutants, the correlation seems inescapable. Perhaps, if the aforementioned research provides a way to finally defeat MAD, it will give us this answer as well. Imagine, that, my colleagues: a Complex free from mutants.

Refs: Bile_Suppressant

-- Servs-U-RIT-7

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