The great brain debate - Ted Altschuler

腦的大辨論－ Ted Altschuler

譯者: Yamei Huang 審譯者: 瑞文Eleven 林Lim

In 1861, two scientists got into a very brainy argument.

1986 年，二位科學家 進行一場智慧之爭。

Specifically, they had opposing ideas of how speech and memory

特別是針對語言及記憶 是如何在大腦內運作，

operated within the human brain.

他們持有不同的看法。

Ernest Aubertin, with his localistic model,

恩斯特·奧貝坦提出區域模型，

argued that a particular region or the brain

認為大腦內的特定區域

was devoted to each separate process.

各自負責不同的程序。

Pierre Gratiolet, on the other hand, argued for the distributed model,

相反地，皮爾·格列提奧雷 提出分佈式模型，

where different regions work together

腦內不同的區域一起運作,

to accomplish all of these various functions.

以完成許多的功能。

The debate they began reverberated throughout the rest of the century,

這個爭論在十九世紀末造成迴響，

involving some of the greatest scientific minds of the time.

當時，一些具有 最優秀科學頭腦的人參與其中。

Aubertin and his localistic model had some big names on his side.

有些大名鼎鼎的人 贊同奧貝坦的區域模型。

In the 17th century, René Descartes had assigned the quality

十七世紀時，勒內·迪卡兒

of free will and the human soul to the pineal gland.

把自由意志及人類靈魂特質 歸因於腦內的松果腺。

And in the late 18th century, a young student named Franz Joseph Gall

十八世紀末，一位年輕學生 弗朗茲.約瑟夫.加爾

had observed that the best memorizers in his class had the most prominent eyes

注意到班上記憶力最好的人， 眼球長得特別突出，

and decided that this was due to higher development

這是因為腦內的 連結部分比較發達所造成的結果。

in the adjacent part of the brain.

As a physician, Gall went on to establish the study of phrenology,

身為一個醫生， 加爾建立顱相學的研究，

which held that strong mental faculties corresponded to

該理論認為擁有高智力的人

highly developed brain regions, observable as bumps in the skull.

大腦區域被高度開發， 故頭蓋骨會有明顯的突出。

The widespread popularity of phrenology throughout the early 19th century

顱相學在十九世紀早期相當普及，

tipped the scales towards Aubertin's localism.

奧貝坦的區域模型取得優勢。

But the problem was that Gall had never bothered to scientifically test

問題是加爾從不做科學實驗

whether the individual brain maps he had constructed

不知個別的顱相是否

applied to all people.

適用於所有人。

And in the 1840's, Pierre Flourens challenged phrenology

於 1940 年代，皮爾·佛羅倫斯 以下列方法對顱相學提出質疑，

by selectively destroying parts of animal brains

他選擇性破壞動物的大腦，

and observing which functions were lost.

並觀察喪失那些功能。

Flourens found that damaging the cortex

佛羅倫斯發現大腦皮質遭到破壞

interfered with judgement or movement in general,

一般而言，會影響判斷力及活動功能，

but failed to identify any region associated with one specific function,

但沒有辨認出大腦哪一區域 與特定功能相連結，

concluding that the cortex carried out brain functions as an entire unit.

故推論大腦皮質以整體方式 發揮大腦功能。

Flourens had scored a victory for Gratiolet, but it was not to last.

佛羅倫斯為格列提奧雷取得勝利， 但持續不久。

Gall's former student, Jean-Baptiste Bouillaud,

加爾之前的學生波伊勞德，

challenged Flourens' conclusion,

對佛羅倫斯的論點提出質疑，

observing that patients with speech disorders

他觀察到有語言障礙的人

all had damage to the frontal lobe.

都是額葉受損。

And after Paul Broca's 1861 autopsy of a patient who had lost the power

1891 年之後，保羅.布諾卡， 解剖一個罹患失語症

to produce speech, but not the power to understand it,

但是仍可了解語意的病人，

revealed highly localized frontal lobe damage,

顯示其額葉區域嚴重受損，

the distributed model seemed doomed.

此時分散式模型似乎已注定失敗，

Localism took off.

區域化模型大放異采。

In the 1870's, Karl Wernicke associated part of the left temporal lobe

1870 年代，卡爾.維尼克將部分顳葉

with speech comprehension.

與語言理解力作連結。

Soon after, Eduard Hitzig and Gustav Fritsch

不久之後，愛德華.希格齊 和古斯塔.費理希

stimulated a dog's cortex and discovered a frontal lobe region

刺激狗的腦皮質後， 發現額葉區域

responsible for muscular movements.

是負責肌肉運動的地方。

Building on their work, David Ferrier mapped each piece of cortex

以這個成果為基礎，大衛.費里爾 將每一個大腦皮質關連

associated with moving a part of the body.

身體各部分的動作相對應。

And in 1909, Korbinian Brodmann built his own cortex map with 52 separate areas.

1909 年，科比尼安.布洛德曼 將他自己的皮質對應到 52 個不同區域。

It appeared that the victory of Aubertin's localistic model was sealed.

這時曾被遺忘的奧貝坦 區域模型似乎獲得勝利。

But neurologist Karl Wernicke had come up with an interesting idea.

但神經病學家卡爾.溫尼克 提出一個有趣的構想，

He reasoned that since the regions for speech production and comprehension

他推論：既然語言產生和理解力

were not adjacent,

的區域沒有相互連結，

then injuring the area connecting them might result

若相關連的皮質區域受傷， 結果應該會喪失某種語言功能，

in a special type of language loss, now known as receptive aphasia.

這是大家所知道的接受性失語症。

Wernicke's connectionist model helped explain disorders

溫尼克的類神經網路模型 有助於說明失語症

that didn't result from the dysfunction of just one area.

產生這個官能障礙的原因 不只是一個區域受損。

Modern neuroscience tools reveal a brain more complex than

現代神經科學工具揭露了 大腦的構造

Gratiolet, Aubertin, or even Wernicke imagined.

比格列提奧雷、奧貝坦 甚至是溫尼克的想像還複雜。

Today, the hippocampus is associated with two distinct brain functions:

現今我們知道，海馬迴與 二個不同區域的大腦功能相連結：

creating memories and processing location in space.

包括長期記憶與方向感。

We also now measure two kinds of connectivity:

現在我們來量測二種連結：

anatomical connectivity between two adjoining

第一是：二個大腦皮質相鄰之間

regions of cortex working together,

的結構一起運作，

and functional connectivity between separated regions

另一種是： 二個不同區域之間的功能

working together to accomplish one process.

一起運作，以完成一個程序。

A seemingly basic function like vision

像視覺這項基本功能，

is actually composed of many smaller functions,

實際上是由許多小功能所結合而成，

with different parts of the cortex representing

由不同部位腦皮質，

shape, color and location in space.

以辨識形狀、顏色以及方向。

When certain areas stop functioning, we may recognize an object,

當特定區域失去了功能， 或許可以分辨出物體，

but not see it, or vice versa.

但看不到此物體，反之亦然。

There are even different kinds of memory for facts and for routines.

行為和日常活動會使用到 不同種類的記憶。

And remembering something like your first bicycle

像是記得第一次擁有自行車的記憶。

involves a network of different regions each representing the concept

包括不同的區域網路， 各自展現不同的腳踏車概念，

of vehicles, the bicycle's shape, the sound of the bell,

腳踏車的形狀、鈴鐺的聲音，

and the emotions associated with that memory.

對腳踏車的情感與記憶產生關連。

In the end, both Gratiolet and Aubertin turned out to be right.

最後，格列提奧雷及 奧貝坦的說法被證明是對的。

And we still use both of their models to understand how cognition happens.

我們利用這二種模型， 來了解如何產生認知。

For example, we can now measure brain activity on such a fine time scale

例如，在一個適當的時機 量測大腦活動，

that we can see the individual localized processes that comprise

可以看到個別區域的流程

a single act of remembering.

是由個別記憶活動組成。

But it is the integration of these different processes and regions

它整合這些不同的程序和

that creates the coherent memory we experience.

產生我們所經歷 的連貫記憶區域。

The supposedly competing theories prove to be two aspects

或許競爭理論 被證明是包含二個不同觀點的理論

of a more comprehensive model,

成為更完整的綜合模型，

which will in turn be revised and refined

以現在的科學技術和方法，

as our scientific techologies and methods for understanding the brain improve.

經過不斷修改與精進， 以增進我們對大腦的了解。