Diagnosing a zombie: Brain and body (Part one) - Tim Verstynen & Bradley Voytek

殭屍診斷報告：大腦與身體 - 提姆．凡史提尼（Tim Verstynen）和布萊德雷．沃泰克（Brad Voytek）

Transcriber: Tom Carter Reviewer: Bedirhan Cinar

譯者: Hao-Wei Chang 審譯者: Jephian Lin

（殭屍聲） 博士 1：它到底為什麼會這樣子呢？

Doctor 1: So, how did it get to be this way?

Doctor 2: Well, it’s my professional opinion that the large gaping bite mark

博士 2：根據我專業的判斷： 這應該和它肩膀上那個被咬到的傷口有關。

on its shoulder might have something to do with it.

D1: Thanks. I mean, what causes its behavioral abnormalities?

博士 1：真是謝謝啊！ 我是說什麼造成它的行為異常呢？

D2: Well, we know all behaviors are rooted in the brain,

博士 2：嗯，我們都知道行為由大腦控制，

so I’d expect that something’s gone terribly wrong, probably in there.

所以我猜測它應該是腦袋壞了。

D1: Thanks again, Doctor Obvious.

博士1：謝謝你指出 這個顯而易見的事實。

Let me be more specific.

讓我說得更精確些吧！

What changes in the brain would have to occur

到怎麼樣的腦部病變 會造成這種行為的改變？

in order to cause this kind of behavior?

博士2：嗯…噢…讓我們看看……

D2: Hmm. Well, let's see.

The first thing I notice is how it moves.

首先我注意到它的行動方式。

Stiff legged, with long, lumbering steps, very slow and awkward.

僵硬的腳、延長而沈重的步伐， 非常的緩慢和怪異。

Almost like what you’d see in Parkinson’s disease.

這就像你會在帕金森氏症上所看到的病徵。 （帕金森氏症：一種因為製造多巴胺腦細胞壞死所造成的神經退化性疾病，好發於50歲以上的人）

Maybe something’s wrong with his basal ganglia?

或許是它的基底核出了問題？

Those are a collection of deep brain regions that regulate movement,

基底核位於大腦深處， 藉由釋放一種叫多巴胺的

through a neurochemical called dopamine.

神經傳導物質來控制行動。 （譯注：神經傳導物質用於神經元間的訊號傳導）

Although most people think of dopamine as the “happy” chemical of the brain,

雖然多巴胺常被想像成腦中的「快樂因子」， （譯注：因為多巴胺也負責傳遞愉快、興奮等情緒的訊息）

the dopamine-containing neurons in the basal ganglia

但在帕金森氏症中，基底核內負責釋放多巴胺的神經元壞死 （多巴胺在腦中作為神經傳導物質，也是腎上腺素的前驅物）

die off in Parkinson’s disease— that’s what causes it.

造成行為的異常。

Makes it more and more difficult to initiate actions.

這讓他要開始行動時更加困難。

D1: What?

博士 1：你說啥？

Look again at how it moves. Stiff legs, long stance.

你再仔細看看他的行動方式： 僵硬的腳、筆直的站姿，

These aren’t Parkinsonian movements;

這和帕金森氏症病患的行動方式不符： 帕金森氏病患步程短且會拖著腳走。

Parkinson’s patients take short, shuffling steps.

And the posture’s all wrong.

而且這站姿也完全不符。

This looks to me like what happens when the cerebellum is damaged.

我覺得這看起來像是小腦損傷所造成的狀況。

The cerebellum’s a little cauliflower shaped area in the back of your head,

小腦就是在你後腦勺內 一小塊像是花椰菜的區域，

but don’t let its size fool you.

That little guy contains almost half of the neurons in the entire brain.

但別被外表所矇騙， 大半腦中的神經元都集中在這小小的區域。

Patients who suffer degeneration from this region,

有些在這部份退化的病患 （運動失調症：肌肉失調和不規則顫動）

something called spino-cerebellar ataxia,

—─或稱為脊髓小腦運動失調症—─

show a lack of coordination that results in stiff legs, wide stance,

會失去平衡感而造成僵直腿部、 寬鬆站姿和拖腳行走的狀況。

and a lumbering walk.

My money's on the cerebellum.

我打賭是小腦有問題。

D2: Touché. OK. So we’ve nailed its motor problems.

博士 2：得分。好，我們已經知道它行為上問題。

Now what about that whole groaning, lack of talking thing?

那怎麼解釋它不斷的呻吟和無法言語呢？

D1: Hmm.

博士 1：嗯，你知道嗎，這聽起來像是表達型失語症， 或又稱為布洛克失語症，

You know, it sounds kind of like expressive aphasia, or Broca’s aphasia,

which makes producing words difficult.

這種病造成運用文字表達的困難。 （表達型失語症是因大腦損傷導說、寫能力受損。）

This is caused by damage to the inferior frontal gyrus,

這可能和額葉額下回受損有關， （譯注：額葉額下回即布洛克區，該區負責語言表達）

or possibly the anterior insula,

或者也有可能是前腦島，

both regions behind your temple on the left side of your head.

這兩個區域就在左半邊腦部、太陽穴的下方。

D2: I think you’re only half right.

博士 2：我覺得你只答對了一半。 殭屍確實沒辦法清楚表達。

Zombies definitely can’t communicate, that’s for sure.

But they don’t seem to do a good job of understanding things either.

但是它們對於理解事物的能力也很差。 （譯注：這是回應博士 1 對於殭屍患有布洛克失語症的假設，布洛克失語症病人仍保有理解語言的能力。）

Watch this. Hey, Walker! Your father smelt of elderberries!

看我的！嘿！你爸臭死了！

See? No reaction.

（大笑）看吧！沒有反應。

Either it’s not a Monty Python fan, or it can’t understand me.

它要不是蒙蒂蟒蛇的粉絲，就是它聽不懂我說的話。 （譯注：博士 2 喊話原文出自蒙蒂蟒蛇演出的聖杯傳奇）

I’d say this is like spot-on fluent Wernicke’s aphasia:

我認為這應該是魏尼克失語症， （其症患者會講出流利卻無意義的文字，並有聽、讀障礙）

damage to an area at the junction of two of the brain’s lobes,

在大腦頂葉和聶葉兩葉的連接處、

temporal and parietal,

typically on the left side of the brain, is the culprit.

尤其是在大腦左側的傷害就是病因。

This area is physically connected to Broca’s area, that you mentioned,

這部份也藉由一大束 被稱為神經纖維束的神經纖維

by a massive bundle of neurofibers called the arcuate fasciculus.

連接到你提及的布洛克區。

I hypothesize that this massive bundle of connections

我假設這一大叢連接束在殭屍中完全損壞了。

is completely wiped out in a zombie.

It would be like taking out the superhighway between two cities.

這神經纖維束就像兩城市間的高速公路。

One city that manufactures a product,

其中一座城市負責生產產品，

and the other that ships it out to the rest of the world.

而另一座城市負責出口到世界各地。

Without that highway, the product distribution just shuts down.

如果沒有高速公路，產品就不能出口。

D1: So, basically it’s a moot point to reason with a zombie,

博士 1：所以這就是假設造成殭屍的原因，

since they can’t understand you, let alone talk back.

既然它們沒辦法聽懂你說的話，更別提反駁了。

D2: I mean, you could try, man,

博士 2：（大笑）我是說你試著進去和它說說看啊， 不過我想我待在這裡比較安全。

but I’m going to stay on this side of the glass.