Can I have your brain? The quest for truth on concussions and CTE | Chris Nowinski

翻译人员: Ethan Ouyang 校对人员: Zehao Zhou

I'm Chris Nowinski, and odds are if you've met me in the last five years

我是克里斯·诺文斯基，如果你在 过去的五年中和我有过巧遇，

I've asked you, after a few minutes, a bit of an odd question:

我也许在数分钟的谈话后， 向你询问过一个奇怪的问题：

Can I have your brain?

我能拥有你的大脑吗？

Now, it only seems like a strange question if you don't know my story

在没有听过我的故事之前， 这对你而言只会是一个诡异的问题。

so please let me share it with you.

请让我与各位分享我的故事。

I grew up outside of Chicago, and I was an athlete

我在芝加哥郊外长大， 曾经是一名运动员，

and I was very lucky to get recruited to play football at Harvard University.

并且有幸得以加入 哈佛大学的橄榄球队。

So that's me.

那就是我。

And then after graduating, like most Harvard graduates,

毕业之后，和其他大多数 哈佛毕业生一样，

I decided I wanted to join the WWE.

我决定要去 WWE （世界摔角娱乐比赛）闯荡一番。

So that's also me.

所以那也是我。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Sure you remember me from Monday Night Raw in 2002 and 2003,

你们肯定记得我在2002年 和2003年的 WWE Raw 里的身影，

and I had a blast

我简直玩疯了，

playing what people affectionately like to call

人们当时亲切的称呼我为

Chris Harvard, the Ivy League snob.

克里斯·哈佛，“常青藤的墙头草”。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

It was perfect for me.

对我而言一切都很完美。

But unfortunately,

然而不幸的是，

I got kicked in the head by my colleague Bubba Ray Dudley,

我被队友布巴瑞·达德利 一脚踢中了脑门，

and I suffered a severe concussion.

这导致了严重的脑震荡，

And it led to what became permanent postconcussion symptoms:

而这最终导致了 永久性的脑震荡后遗症：

constant headaches, inability to sleep, depression, feeling in a fog.

持续不断的头痛，难以入眠， 忧郁，整天浑浑噩噩。

And in that first year,

在第一年里，

I tried to figure out how could I make this pain go away.

我千方百计的想让疼痛消失。

And I wasn't getting the answers I needed from doctors,

但我没能在医生那里得到 我想要的答复，

and so I started digging into the medical literature.

所以我开始自行挖掘医学文献。

And I found there's this whole story about concussions

我发现有一个关于 脑震荡的惊人事实，

我们甚至从未被告知。

that we weren't really being told.

So I decided to write a book about it,

所以我决定写一本有关方面的书，

名字叫做《头颅的竞赛： 橄榄球背后的脑震荡危机》，

called "Head Games: Football's Concussion Crisis"

那本书已于2006年出版。

that came out in 2006.

但在出版这本书的过程中， 我发现它并不仅仅和脑震荡有关。

But in that process, I learned it's not really just about concussions.

I learned about a disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE.

我知道了有一种疾病叫做 慢性创伤性脑病，简称CTE。

What we used to call punch-drunk, because we only knew about it from boxers.

我们过去把它叫做“拳击眩晕”， 因为只有拳击手才会得这种病。

We knew that getting hit in the head too many times with boxers

我们知道如果拳击手的脑袋 被对手击打太多次，

would cause their brain to essentially start to rot, to degenerate.

他们的大脑就会永久性 的萎缩以及衰退。

And they'd have symptoms

而他们也会出现一些症状，

like memory problems and problems with cognition,

譬如记忆流失和认知受阻，

depression, impulse control issues, aggression.

忧郁，冲动制御障碍， 以及具有侵略性。

So basically, I got ...

所以，简单来说...

I got injured at the right time,

我在正合适的时候患病了，

in which the first two NFL players were studied for this disease.

当时，人们首次展开了就CTE对 国家橄榄球联盟（NFL）的两个队员的研究，

And it turned out they both had it.

结果是他们都患有此病。

The first was Mike Webster, 50 years old, already had dementia.

第一个人是麦克·韦伯斯特， 年逾50，已患有老年痴呆。

The second, Terry Long, 45 years old when he took his life.

第二个人，特里隆， 在45岁的时候选择了轻生。

The medical examiner in Pittsburgh decided to look at their brains

匹兹堡的验尸官 对他们的大脑进行了研究，

and found this disease.

于是发现了CTE。

I wrote a chapter about it,

我在书中花了一个章节叙写此事，

and I thought people would make a big deal out of it.

我以为人们会高度重视这个结果。

但令人吃惊的是，即使首次 的两个案例都患有CTE，

But shockingly, even when the first two cases came in positive,

there was never a national news story about this,

依然没有一个全国性的媒体

what's going on in football with these cases of CTE.

来报道CTE和橄榄球运动之间的联系。

So the book comes out,

所以当这本书出版后，

not a whole lot is happening,

并没有什么太大变化。

and one day I read the newspaper -- November 20, 2006.

有一天我读到了 2006年11月20日的一篇报刊文章。

I find out that Andre Waters just took his life.

我发现安德烈·沃特斯刚刚自尽了。

Those of you who know football,

如果你们之中有人了解橄榄球，

Andre Waters was someone I grew up watching.

安德烈·沃特斯 是我从小看到大的球星。

Former Philadelphia Eagles strong safety,

前费城鹰队强大的防守保障，

[44] years old, a Division II football coach

正值44岁壮年， 在第二部门担任橄榄球教练，

when he decided to put a gun to his head.

却选择了将枪口对准自己的脑袋。

In the article they reminded me, his nickname was Dirty Waters.

那篇文章让我回忆起， 他的昵称是“肮脏的沃特斯”。

He was known for leading with his head,

他因用自己的脑袋冲撞而闻名，

so I thought I'm just going to look up

所以我想去查阅一下，

did he ever talk about the concussions he had.

他有没有说过自己的脑震荡症状。

And I found a quote from 1994 where Andre Waters said,

然后我发现安德烈·沃特斯 在1994年说过一句话，

"I stopped counting my concussions at 15.

“我15岁就停止计算 我的脑震荡次数了。

I wouldn't say anything, I'd just sniff smelling salts and go back out there."

我什么也不说，我只是 吸几口鼻盐然后再回到场上。”

And I thought, I wonder if he might have CTE, too.

我想他可能也患有CTE。

If that might have contributed to whatever made him choose to end his life.

也许那就是让他最终 选择轻生的原因。

So I ended up calling the doctor who did the first two studies, and I said,

所以我给那位进行了首次两个案例 研究的医生打了电话，我说道，

"Hey, I think you should study Andre Waters."

“嘿，我觉得你应该 研究一下安德烈·沃特斯。”

And he said, "I'd be happy to.

然后他说，“我很乐意，

The problem is, the first two cases died in the county in which I work,

但问题在于，那前两个案例里的死者 都在我所工作的郡里，

and I could study them as part of my job.

我可以在工作之余研究他们。

I can't do that with Andre Waters, he died in Florida.

但我无法这样研究 安德烈·沃特斯，他死在佛罗里达。

If you want me to study him, you're going to have to figure out

如果你想让我研究他， 你得想办法让我

how to get me the brain."

得到他的大脑。”

So I said, "OK.

于是我说，“好吧。

How does one get a brain?"

那要怎么弄到大脑呢？”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

So I racked my brain

我绞尽了脑汁，

and I thought, why don't I call the medical examiner

想到，为什么不给 那个验尸官打电话？

who I think has the brain right now?

因为那个大脑现在在他手上。

So I called up the medical examiner in Florida, and I said,

所以我给身处佛罗里达的那个 验尸官打了电话，我说道，

“嘿，你不认识我，但是你是不是 还存有安德烈·沃特斯的大脑呢？”

"Hey, you don't know me, but do you still have the brain of Andre Waters?"

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And he said, "Yes, I do."

他说，“是的，我有。”

I said, "OK, are you going to study him for CTE?"

我说，“好极了，那么 你是否要拿它来研究CTE呢？”

And he said no, in fact at that time he didn't believe that was a real disease.

他表示了否定，事实上他当时 并不相信有那样一种疾病存在。

I said, "OK, if you're not, do you mind if I have it?"

我说，“好吧，如果你不打算研究它， 能不能把它给我呢？”

And he said, "Well, young man,

他说道，“哎，年轻人，

I can't give you the brain.

我不能就这样把大脑给你。

You need his family's permission.

你还必须得到他家人的同意。

But if you do get the permission of his next of kin,

但是如果你真的征得了 他的直系亲属的同意，

I will release the brain to you."

我会把他的大脑给你的。”

And I said, "Great!"

于是我说，“棒极了！”

And then I realized I had to figure out who his next of kin was and ask them,

接着我就意识到我必须搞清楚谁是他的 直系亲属以及如何征得他们的同意。

and it turned out it was Andre Waters's 88-year-old mother.

结果发现那是安德烈88岁的老母亲。

And I sat there, and I took a breath and I thought,

我坐在那里，深吸了一口气，心想，

"Am I really going to cold-call an 88-year-old grieving mother

“我真的要给那位88岁高龄 的老妇人打电话，在她刚刚痛失了

who just lost her son to suicide?"

自己自杀的儿子的时候？”

And almost everything in me said, "Don't do it.

我的所有理智仿佛都在说，“别这么做。

It's too much to put this poor woman through,

这对这个可怜的老妇人来说太过分了，

she's been through so much already."

她经历的痛苦够多了。”

But then this other voice in my head said,

但接着另一个声音在我的脑海里响起，

"You know what?

“你知道吗，

If guys are killing themselves from this disease

如果人们因为这样一个疾病选择自杀，

and we could study it to maybe prevent this from happening in the future,

而我们本可能通过研究 来阻止这样的惨剧继续发生，

sometimes you've just got to suck it up and do something that's very hard."

那么有时候你就不得不 做出一些艰难的选择。”

So I called her.

所以我给她打了电话。

First time, nobody answered.

第一次，无人应答。

Second time, no one answered, third... no voice mails.

第二次，无人接听，第三次... 连语音信箱都没有。

The fifth time, I got an answer.

第五次的时候，有人接起了电话。

And thank God that Andre Waters's family was so gracious about the call and said,

感谢上帝，安德烈的家人 对我非常热情，并且说道，

"You know what, we want to know what happened to Andre.

“你知道吗，我们想知道 安德烈身上到底发生了什么，

We want to know why he changed so much in the last five years of his life."

我们想知道为什么他在生命最后 五年中的改变如此之大。“

And so we studied the brain,

于是我们得以研究了他的大脑，

and it turned out that he did have CTE.

结果是他也患有CTE。

He became the third NFL player diagnosed with the disease.

他成了第三例确诊CTE的NFL球员。

This is what it looks like.

这就是他的大脑。

He was somewhere between mild and severe.

他处于严重CTE和轻度CTE之间。

OK, we have three of three NFL players here.

那么现在，三个NFL球员都患有CTE，

Maybe this needs to get a little bit more serious.

也许这件事需要更严肃的对待，

Maybe something's happening here.

也许确实要对此采取行动了。

So I ended up starting the Concussion Legacy Foundation,

所以我最后开创了这个 脑震荡捐赠基金会，

并使这项工作正规化，

actually formalized the work,

so it wasn't just some guy calling for brains.

而不仅仅是一些人四处寻求大脑。

And I searched the world.

而我找遍了世界，

And I put together the best research team I could find.

组织了一支我能找到的 最好的研究团队。

So we partnered with Boston University,

我们和波士顿大学合作，

we partnered with scientists at the VA here in Boston,

我们和在波士顿的科学家共事，

and we started a brain bank.

我们还开创了一个大脑银行。

Turns out, if you want to know how to cure degenerative brain disease,

我们发现，如果你想知道 如何治愈大脑的退化疾病，

you have to start by actually studying the brains.

你必须从研究大脑本身开始。

At this point, we were the first center in the world focused on CTE.

在那时，我们是世界上 首家关注CTE的研究中心，

It just had not been studied formally.

此前，CTE还从来没有 被正规研究过。

And so we start this brain bank, and it's my job to get the brains

于是我们开创了大脑银行， 而我的工作则是为

for Dr. Ann McKee and her brain bank, right in the middle.

安麦基博士（图片中间） 和她的大脑银行寻来大脑。

We also work with Dr. Bob Stern, Dr. Robert Cantu,

我们也和鲍勃·斯特恩博士， 罗伯特·坎图博士合作，

truly my dream team of scientists that I support.

他们都是我梦想合作的团队。

So my job is to get the brains.

所以我的工作是找到大脑。

And I was very successful in those early years.

而我在前几年都非常顺利。

Since 2007 I've started every day by reading the obituaries.

自从2007年开始，我的每一天 都从读讣告栏开始。

And it's a tough way to live.

那实在是一种艰苦的生活方式。

And it's hard on me

这对我来说很艰难，

and it's even worse on these poor families that I've been calling

而对那些接到我的电话 的可怜的家庭来说更是如此，

for the last 10 years, to ask for their brains.

在这十年间， 我一直在向他们索要大脑。

And so early on in the process, as it started to really eat away at me,

随着工作的推进， 这种感觉开始逐渐将我吞噬，

I decided, you know what, can I find another way

我开始想，能不能找到一种办法

to get people to donate their brains to this research?

能让人们自愿捐赠 他们的大脑给我们进行研究？

And I figured out, what if we could create a culture

如果我们能够在这个国家里 创造一种大脑捐赠

的文化氛围呢？

of brain donation in this country?

What if it became normal for athletes to donate their brain after they died?

如果对于运动员来说， 死后捐赠大脑变成一种常事呢？

于是我开办了 一个大脑捐赠的登记处。

And so what I started was a brain donation registry.

And I started asking athletes

我开始询问运动员们，

if they would publicly pledge to donate their brain to science.

问他们是否愿意公开宣誓 死后将大脑捐赠给科研机构。

And it started with, actually, a hockey player in 2009.

这一切始于2009年 的一个冰球运动员。

One of my first pledges was a former Harvard hockey player,

我的第一个宣誓者 是一个前哈佛冰球运动员，

Noah Welch, who was in the NHL at the time.

诺亚·韦尔奇，当时是 国家冰球联盟（NHL）的一员。

It was a slow start people understanding what this was about.

人们一开始并不理解这其中的意义。

So when the news hit the front page,

所以当这条新闻登上头条，

"Noah Welch pledging his brain to science,"

“诺亚·韦尔奇宣誓 将大脑捐赠给科学研究”，

he said he went to the locker room the next day,

他说当他第二天到休息室的时候，

one of his teammates pulled him aside and said,

他的一个队友将他拉到一边并问道，

“嘿，我听说你要 把大脑捐赠给科学研究。”

"Hey, I heard you're donating your brain to science."

And he said, "Yep."

他说，“没错。”

And he said, "Wow. How many games are you going to miss?"

队友说道，“哇，那你得 缺席多少场比赛啊？”

(Laughter)

（大笑）

True story.

真人真事。

(Laughter)

（大笑）

But we've been remarkably successful --

但我们的成果是显著的——

over 2,500 athletes have signed up.

已经有超过2500个运动员参与。

They get a brain-donation card they keep in their wallet.

他们会得到一个 可随身携带的大脑捐赠卡片。

This is mine, I was obviously first, it says 01.

这是我的，我显然是第一位， 上面写着01号。

And I will donate my brain to this.

我会将我的大脑捐赠出来，

We've also been lucky to have people like Brandi Chastain,

我们也很幸运的拥有 像布兰迪·查斯顿这样的人，

她是女子足球的标志人物，

the women's soccer icon,

全国运动汽车竞赛协会（NASCAR） 的戴尔·恩哈特。

NASCAR's Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Just two weeks ago, Hall-of-Famer Nick Buoniconti

两周以前，名人堂的尼克·伯尼坎提

who had been diagnosed with dementia, signed up to pledge his brain.

被确诊为患有痴呆症， 也宣誓要捐赠他的大脑。

So it's been wonderful, and the great thing about it

所以这是极好的， 而且最棒的部分在于

is that it has worked in changing how we're able to get brains.

这成功的改变了 我们获取大脑的方式。

So now, instead of me having to call, more families call us.

现在，更多的家庭给我打电话， 而不是我打给他们，

And our phones ring off the hook.

我们的热线都快被打爆了。

And so I can now focus on taking this information,

所以现在我们可以 把注意力放在得到的信息上，

figuring out how do we work towards a cure,

尝试解决如何治愈这种疾病，

how do we work towards prevention,

以及如何预防。

and so my life has gotten a lot easier.

所以我的生活负担瞬间减轻了。

This is just some of the headlines that we've able to get over the years

这些都是我们这些年登上的新闻头条，

from athletes pledging their brain.

关于运动员宣誓捐赠他们的大脑。

The problem has been what we learned.

真正的问题在于我们的发现。

So when we started this,

在一开始的时候，

only 45 cases existed in the world of this disease

只有45起确诊患有这种疾病的大脑

that had been studied in brain banks.

在我们的大脑银行里进行研究。

Since then, we have acquired 500 brains

从那之后，我们的库存 增添了500个大脑，

and found over 300 of them had CTE.

并发现其中的300多个都患有CTE。

To put that in perspective,

从另一个角度讲，

the rest of the world has not studied 100 brains since we started this.

从我们开始研究以来，整个世界 对大脑的研究不超过100起。

What we've seen though is very frightening.

我们的发现是非常令人担忧的。

So some of you might have seen the headline in July

你们当中的一些人 可能在7月的时候看到过

in the "New York Times."

纽约时报的一个新闻头条。

And a recent study we published,

那是我们最近发表的一个研究，

that of the first 111 NFL players we looked at

上面显示在我们研究 的前111个NFL球员里，

110 were positive for this disease.

有110个都患有CTE。

Of the first 53 college football players we looked at,

在我们观察的前53个 大学橄榄球运动员里，

48 had this disease.

有48个都患有CTE。

That's something that's a very big concern to me.

对我而言这是很严重的问题。

And so now, I'm very much focused

所以现在，我高度关注的是

on what can we do to actually treat this disease?

我们如何才能真正的治愈这个疾病？

We still can't diagnose CTE in living people,

我们依然无法在活人身上诊断出CTE，

we have no treatments that are going to be coming

我们也没有任何治疗手段

out of the pharmaceutical industry in the next five years.

有望在未来五年内进入药物学领域。

This is a long, long fight.

这是一场漫长的对抗。

But our Concussion Legacy Foundation is here to not only facilitate this work,

但是我们的脑震荡捐赠基金会 并不仅仅是为了完成这项工作，

and that's the long game,

那是一场持久战，

but the short game is, hey, we can prevent this.

但短期的目标是预防。

We can prevent this disease

我们可以预防这个疾病，

if we just stopped hitting people in the head so much.

只要我们能够停止 如此猛烈的击打别人的脑袋。

And frankly, we need to stop hitting children in the head.

说老实话，我们也需要 停止打孩子们的脑袋。

Turns out, it's not a great idea to hit a five-year-old in the head

研究发现，每年以500次的频率 去打一个孩子的头部，

500 times each year.

并不是什么好的主意,

那确实会打开通向CTE的门。

And it does actually open up the door to this disease.

And so, we've got a lot of work ahead of us.

所以，我们还有很多未完成的工作。

But I have great hope that we're on our way to curing this disease.

但是我坚信我们已经走在了 治愈这种疾病的道路上。

But I hope you understand my story a little more now.

但我希望你们现在 能更加理解我的故事了。

And now that we've gotten to know each other a little bit better,

既然我们现在已经互相了解了对方，

this is the time where I ask you,

现在就是我提问的时刻了，

"Can I have your brain?"

“我能拥有你的大脑吗？”

Thank you very much.

非常感谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）