What if we could look inside human brains? - Moran Cerf

窺探大腦奧祕 - Moran Cerf

Transcriber: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Bedirhan Cinar

譯者: Hao-Wei Chang 審譯者: Geoff Chen

The brain is the center of all of our thoughts,

大腦是我們所有思維

dreams,

夢境

emotions,

情感

and memories.

和記憶的中心

It's what makes us who we are.

它造就我們現在的樣子

But, there is still a lot that we don't know about the brain.

但是，大腦仍有很多我們不瞭解的地方

Scientists have worked for years

科學家們已經努力了很多年

on trying to understand the human brain

試圖瞭解人類的大腦

using techniques like EEG and FMRI,

利用腦電波圖 (EGG) 和 功能磁共振成像 (FMRI)

where we scan the brain from the outside.

讓我們可以從外部掃描大腦

But what if we could look inside the brains of humans

但如果我們可以 更深入地窺探大腦

and watch them as they work?

並觀察它們運作呢？

Well, now we can

現在，藉由研究

by looking at the brains of people

為了治療癲癇而以手術 移除部份大腦區塊的病患

who are already going through surgery for clinical reasons,

為了治療癲癇而以手術 移除部份大腦區塊的病患

like curing epilepsy.

我們做得到了

Epilepsy is a disease

癲癇是一種疾病

in which a faulty part of the brain

肇因於大腦特特定區位

starts working spontaneously for no apparent reason.

毫無原由地自發性放電

It's like an earthquake

就像地震一樣

but inside your head.

只不過事發生在腦部

There's no way to know in advance

我們無法預期

when a seizure will occur,

何時會發作

so the patients are always at risk

所以病患一直都處於潛在

of unexpectedly losing control.

無法控制的危險中

There are drugs that treat epilepsy,

我們有藥物可以治療癲癇

but these don't always work.

但不一定對每個人都有效

Some patients who don't respond well to the drugs

有些無法用藥物控制的病患

can undergo a different treatment

可以藉由其他療法

where the faulty part in their brain,

將腦中失常的區塊

the part that starts the seizures,

也就是病灶

is surgically removed.

以手術方式移除

The challenge is knowing which part to take out.

這手術的挑戰 是在確定移除區塊

How do you figure out which bit of the brain is faulty?

你怎麼確定那個區塊有問題呢？

In order to find the exact location of the seizure onset,

為了確切定位病灶

doctors embed electrodes directly into the patient's brain

醫師會將電極植入病人腦部

around the suspected seizure center.

可能和病發有關的區域

The patient then stays in the hospital for a few days,

病患就在醫院中休息幾天

waiting to have a seizure

等待癲癇發作

with the electrodes constantly recording

這時候電極會持續地

the activity inside his or her brain.

將病患腦部活動紀錄下來

Yes, now we want the patient to have a seizure

沒錯，我們希望癲癇發生

so doctors can use the embedded electrodes

如此一來，醫師才能藉由這些電極

to measure it and learn exactly where its origin was.

來測量病灶，並確切找出病灶區位

After doctors are sure where the seizures

在醫師確定腦中

come from in the brain,

造成病發的區塊後

they can take the electrodes out.

他們就可以將電極取出

Now they know what part of the brain they can remove

現在他們知要切除那個大腦區塊

in order to cure the patient.

才能治好病患

These brain electrodes can tell us

腦內的電極除了偵測病變

more than just where the seizures happen.

也可以告訴我們更多資訊

Based on where the doctors place the electrodes in the brain,

基於醫師插入電極的區位

we can ask questions about what the brain does.

我們可以探討該區位的功能

Sometimes we find one cell that starts bursting in activity

有時候，病患在看到特定圖片時

every time the patient sees a particular picture,

某個腦細胞開始出現活化的情形

for example, a picture of Marilyn Monroe.

例如：瑪麗蓮 · 夢露的圖片

See, every time the patient sees Marilyn Monroe,

每一次病患看到瑪麗蓮 · 夢露的圖片

some specific cells fire in the brain.

特定腦細胞就會活化

You can now know when the patient is thinking of Marilyn Monroe

所以你可以 藉由觀察這些細胞的活化

just by listening to these cells fire.

知道病患在想著瑪麗蓮 · 夢露

When we find one or a few of these cells with each patient,

當我們看到病患 腦中一個或數個細胞的活化

we can then do all kinds of fancy things.

我們就可以做許多有趣的事

For example, we can connect the recording electrode

例如：我們可以將這些電極

to a cursor on a screen

對應到螢幕上的游標

and have the patient move the cursor left or right

然後讓病患藉由思考

just by thinking of things.

將游標左右移動

This can help people

這可以幫助

who lost the ability to move their hands,

失去手部活動能力的病患

like people with spinal cord injuries or wounded soldiers,

例如：讓神經損傷病患或傷兵

by having them control a prosthetic arm

藉由大腦

directly with their brain.

控制他們的義肢

Our brain is a brilliant device

我們的大腦是個精巧的儀器

which can make predictions about the future.

它讓我們可以預測未來

For example, we can all know

例如：我們會知道

which word will appear at the end of this...

哪個詞將出接著這...

sentence.

句子

The brain can solve complicated problems,

大腦可以解決複雜的問題

imagine the entire universe,

想像宇宙

and grasp concepts such as infinity

和掌握浩瀚無窮的概念

or unicorns.

或是獨角獸

The brain produces complex emotions like love or jealousy,

大腦產生複雜的情緒，像愛或嫉妒

it's what makes us creative and curious,

它也使我們產生創意和好奇

and it can even contemplate about itself.

並思考大腦自己的問題

And the brain is the organ we use to study the brain.

大腦是我們用來研究大腦的器官

I think that the brain is the most beautiful organ in our body,

我覺得大腦是我們身體理最美麗器官

but then I ask myself,

但我又問自己：

"Which organ is making me think that?"

「是哪個器官讓我這樣想的呢？」