The man who lost his sense of touch - Antonio Cataldo

Prevodilac: Ivana Šimšić Lektor: Milenka Okuka

In 1971, Ian Waterman suddenly collapsed from a severe case

Godine 1971, Ijan Voterman je iznenada pao u postelju

of what seemed to be gastric flu.

zbog naizgled teškog oblika stomačnog virusa.

His illness passed after a few days,

Posle nekoliko dana, virus ga je prošao,

but a stranger set of symptoms lingered.

ali su se neki čudni simptomi zadržali.

Although his muscles and joints remained healthy,

Iako su mu mišići i zglobovi ostali zdravi,

Waterman was unable to move.

Voterman nije mogao da se pomeri.

In fact, he was unable to feel anything from the neck down.

U stvari, nije mogao da oseti ništa od vrata nadole.

Eventually, he was diagnosed with a rare and extreme form of deafferentation,

Na kraju, dijagnostikovan mu je redak i ekstreman oblik deaferentacije,

a neurological condition in which certain signals

neurološkog stanja pri kom su određeni signali

from the nervous system are interrupted or impaired.

iz nervnog sistema prekinuti ili oslabljeni.

Without his body's constant feedback on how his limbs were moving,

Bez povratnih informacija njegovog tela o tome kako mu se ruke i noge pomeraju,

Waterman was unable to sit up, stand, or walk.

Voterman nije mogao da sedne, ustane, niti da hoda.

But over time, he taught himself to use sight to judge the distance

Ali vremenom, podučio je sebe kako da pomoću čula vida oceni razdaljinu

of his limbs from other objects.

između udova i drugih predmeta.

And eventually he regained complete control of his body—

I naposletku je povratio potpunu kontrolu nad svojim telom—

so long as he could see it.

dok god je mogao da ga vidi.

We often don’t think of touch as being a vital part of movement.

Uglavnom ne smatramo da je dodir od vitalnog značaja za kretanje.

But touch is just one part of the somatosensory system,

Međutim, dodir je samo jedan deo somatosenzornog sistema,

a network that oversees all the sensations

mreže koja je odgovorna za sve osećaje

arising from the surface and interior of our bodies.

koji se javljaju na površini našeg tela i unutar njega.

Touch, pain, temperature, and our awareness of our bodies in space—

Dodir, bol, temperatura i svest o našem telu u prostoru—

also known as proprioception— are regulated by this system.

koja se naziva i propriocepcijom— sve njih reguliše ovaj sistem.

And when something goes wrong, the effects can be dramatic.

A kada nešto pođe po zlu, može doći do drastičnih posledica.

All these sensations are processed by millions of tiny receptor cells

Sve ove osećaje obrađuju milioni malih receptora,

embedded in our skin, muscles, tendons, and organs.

koji se nalaze u koži, mišićima, tetivama i organima.

Every square centimeter of our skin is packed with hundreds of these cells,

Na stotine ovih receptora ispunjava svaki kvadratni centimetar na koži,

and their shape, size, and depth determine what kind of stimuli they respond to.

a njihov oblik, veličina i dubina zavise od vrste nadražaja na koje odgovaraju.

Mechanoreceptors sense mechanical deformation of the skin.

Mehanoreceptori osećaju mehaničke deformacije na koži.

This could be triggered by low or high frequency vibrations,

Okidači mogu da budu vibracije niske ili visoke frekvencije,

a stretch, or simply light, static pressure.

istezanje ili prosto slab statički pritisak.

Thermoreceptors respond to temperature changes,

Termoreceptori odgovaraju na promene u temperaturi,

while nociceptors sense pain.

dok nociceptori osećaju bol.

And propriocepters sit deep in your muscles and tendons,

A proprioreceptori se nalaze duboko u mišićima i tetivama

continually detecting and relaying information

i stalno otkrivaju i prenose informacije

about the position of your body.

o trenutnom položaju tela.

Your brain then combines this information with other sensory data

Mozak potom kombinuje ove informacije sa drugim podacima o čulima

to move through space without needing to see your limbs.

kako bi omogućio kretanje kroz prostor, bez potrebe za gledanjem udova.

All of these receptors work by sending electrical signals to the brain

Svi ovi receptori rade tako što šalju električne signale ka mozgu

through fibers they’re attached to.

kroz vlakna sa kojima su povezani.

And the speed of those signals varies with the fiber’s thickness.

A brzina slanja ovih signala zavisi od debljine tih vlakana.

For example, some nociceptors are attached to fibers

Na primer, neki nociceptori su vezani za vlakna

with slightly more conductive, fatty myelin than others.

malo provodljivijim i masnijim mijelinskim omotačem nego ostali.

So when you get hurt, the electrical impulses from thicker nociceptors

Stoga, ako se povredite, električni impulsi iz debljih nociceptora

trigger sharp, intense pain,

izazivaju jak, oštar bol,

while thin, unmyelinated nociceptors are responsible

dok su tanki nociceptori bez mijelinskog omotača

for the dull, aching pain that follows.

odgovorni za tup i mučan bol koji sledi.

And since the fibers carrying tactile information are much thicker

I pošto su vlakna koja nose informacije o dodiru mnogo deblja

than those carrying nociceptive signals,

od onih koja nose nociceptivne signale,

rubbing an injury can produce temporary relief from the pain

trljanje povređenog dela privremeno može ublažiti bol.

These receptors generate a constant flood of signals

Ovi receptori stvaraju konstantnu navalu signala

that travel through the nervous system to the brain.

koji putuju kroz nervni sistem do mozga.

But if this process is disrupted—

Međutim, ako se ovaj proces prekine—

either by damage to the skin, the nerves, or the brain—

bilo oštećenjem na koži, nervima ili mozgu—

the network breaks down.

ova mreža puca.

And since it underpins so many bodily functions,

I pošto je ona osnova mnogih telesnih funkcija,

damage to the somatosensory system can manifest in a wide variety of ways.

oštećenje somatosenzornog sistema se može ispoljiti na mnogo različitih načina.

In Waterman’s case, an autoimmune reaction

U Votermanovom slučaju, autoimuna reakcija

attacked a large swath of his nervous system,

napala je širok pojas njegovog nervnog sistema,

leaving him with no tactile or proprioceptive sensations

ostavivši ga bez osećaja za dodir i proprioceptivnih osećaja od vrata nadole.

from the neck down.

But deafferentation is just one of many somatosensory disorders.

Ali deaferentacija je samo jedan od mnogih somatosenzornih poremećaja.

Individuals can receive damage to a specific brain area or a section of skin,

Pojedinac može da doživi oštećenje na nekom delu mozga ili kože,

resulting in the loss of certain sensations in particular locations.

što dovodi do gubitka određenih osećaja na tim delovima.

And the impact of this loss can be significant.

I posledice ovog gubitka mogu biti značajne.

Losing tactile sensations makes it difficult to gauge how much strength

Gubitkom osećaja za dodir teže je proceniti koliko snage treba koristiti

to use in a situation.

u nekoj situaciji.

Without the warning signals provided by thermal and pain stimuli,

Bez upozoravajućih signala, koje šalju termalni nadražaji i nadražaji za bol,

we don’t react when our bodies are damaged.

ne reagujemo na povrede.

And, being deprived of social touch can cause a condition

A biti lišen dodira sa drugim ljudima može dovesti do stanja

known as touch starvation,

koje se naziva i žudnja za dodirom

characterized by anxiety, depression,

i odlikuju ga anksioznost, depresija,

high blood pressure, and even a weakened immune system.

visok pritisak, kao i oslabljen imuni sistem.

Many individuals who face these realities have found innovative ways to adapt.

Mnogi ljudi koji žive sa ovim pronašli su inovativne načine za prilagođavanje.

But it’s undeniable that all these invisible sensations

Međutim, ne može se poreći da svi ovi nevidljivi osećaji

play a vital role in how we navigate the world—

igraju bitnu ulogu u tome kako se snalazimo u svetu—

even if they can be difficult to put your finger on.

čak iako ih je nekad teško prepoznati.