Cortexiphan

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Cortexiphan is a drug created by Dr. William Bell in 1981. According to Nina Sharp in Ability, Dr. Bell theorized that at birth, the human mind is infinitely capable, but each force that it encounters (Social, Physical, Intellectual) begins a process he called "Limitation" - a diminishing of that potential. Cortexiphan was designed in hopes of limiting this "Limitation", preventing the natural shrinking of brainpower, resulting in people with increased mental ability. Due to the fact that Cortexiphan only prevented the limitation of the mind's potential rather than reversing it, it had to be administered to young children (whose potential had not yet been limited) in order to produce any results.

Walter Bishop states in Bad Dreams that Cortexiphan works by enhancing people's abilities of perception. He explains that reality is the way we perceive the world around us. Therefore, by changing our perception, we change our reality. However, while normal people can only change their perception, Cortexiphan-Positive's can change other people's perceptions as well, thereby changing reality. Nick Lane is an example of this. When his moods changed, his perception changed, and therefore his reality changed. But he unwittingly also caused a change in perception of those around him. In other words, his moods were contagious, like a reverse-empath. It is also possible this is how Olivia Dunham was able to defuse David Robert Jones's bomb in Ability. By changing her perception of reality(and the perception of those around her) she changed reality itself.

Cortexiphan may have other effects as well. Olivia developed a psychic link with Nick Lane do to them being grouped together when they were administered Cortexiphan. In 1982 a 3-year-old Olivia appears to cause an "incident" in Walter and William Bell's lab causing a large portion of her room to appear charred or burned. According to Walter this happened because Olivia was "triggered" when she became upset.(Bad Dreams)

Because of Walter's above statement and Nick Lane's statement that his abilities became out of control when he was visited by "that strange man with the glasses", it appears that Cortexiphan-Positive's must be activated or triggered somehow in order to use their abilities.

Testing of Cortexiphan

Two clinical trials of Cortexiphan took place, after extensive animal testing. During these trials children would be paired together in case they got scared, and so they would have a friend. The first was performed at Ohio State University and a second, much smaller one trial was held at a military base in Jacksonville, Florida. Olivia Dunham lived in Jacksonville at this time as her father was stationed at the naval base there. During this time she was paired with Nick Lane and they were both injected with Cortexiphan at this time. The spinal tap administered to Olivia by Mitchell Loeb in Bound as well as Walter's videotape in Bad Dreams confirm this.