TED英语演讲：如何用你的大脑控制他人的手臂

　　葛雷格?盖吉的当前要务，是要让人人都可以接触脑神经科学。在这场有趣、又有点吓人的展示中，这位脑神经科学家兼资深TED讲者，用一台简单、便宜的自製工具来夺走其中一位听众的自由意志。这不是障眼法，它确实发生了。下面是小编为大家收集关于TED英语演讲：如何用你的大脑控制他人的手臂，欢迎借鉴参考。

　　演说题目：How to control someone elses arm with your brain

　　演说者：Greg Gage

　　演讲稿

　　The brain is an amazing and complex organ. And while many people are fascinated by the brain, they cant really tell you that much about the properties about how the brain works because we dont teach neuroscience in schools.

　　大脑是个很神奇又复杂的器官。尽管很多人都对大脑十分着迷，他们却讲不出太多关于大脑的特征，以及它是怎样工作的，因为学校没有神经科学的课。

　　And one of the reasons why is that the equipment is so complex and so expensive that its really only done at major universities and large institutions. And so in order to be able to access the brain, you really need to dedicate your life and spend six and a half years as a graduate student just to become a neuroscientist to get access to these tools.

　　其中一个原因就是相应的设备太复杂又太昂贵，这些研究只有在高等学府和大型研究机构才能进行。所以为了能够接触到大脑，你几乎需要奉献终生，花六年半的时间在研究生院学习，只为了成为神经科学家好能够使用那些设备。

　　And thats a shame because one out of five of us, thats 20 percent of the entire world, will have a neurological disorder. And there are zero cures for these diseases. And so it seems that what we should be doing is reaching back earlier in the eduction process and teaching students about neuroscience so that in the future, they may be thinking about possibly becoming a brain scientist.

　　很遗憾的是，我们每五个人当中就有一个，也就是全球人口的20%会受神经性失调的困扰。然而还没有任何方法能治愈这些疾病。这么看来，我们应当从教育的更早期阶段开始就传授给学生神经科学的知识，这样在将来，他们或许会考虑成为脑神经科学家。

　　When I was a graduate student, my lab mate Tim Marzullo and myself, decided that what if we took this complex equipment that we have for studying the brain and made it simple enough and affordable enoughthat anyone that you know, an amateur or a high school student, could learn and actually participate in the discovery of neuroscience.

　　当我还是一名研究生的时候，就与同实验室的 Tim Marzullo 决定，将我们现在研究大脑用的复杂仪器进行简化，价格能足够亲民，让任何人，从神经科学爱好者到高中生，都能够学习并参与到探索神经科学的过程当中。

　　And so we did just that. A few years ago, we started a company called Backyard Brains and we make DIY neuroscience equipment and I brought some here tonight, and I want to do some demonstrations. You guys want to see some?

　　于是我们这样做了。几年前，我们成立了一家名叫Backyard Brains (大脑后院) 的公司，主要生产DIY的神经科学仪器，我今天带来了一些，打算为大家做现场的演示。你们想看吗?

　　So I need a volunteer. So right before -- what is your name? (Applause) Sam Kelly: Sam. Greg Gage: All right, Sam, Im going to record from your brain. Have you had this before? SK: No. GG: I need you to stick out your arm for science, roll up your sleeve a bit, So what Im going to do, Im putting electrodes on your arm, and youre probably wondering, I just said Im going to record from your brain, what am I doing with your arm?

　　我需要一个志愿者。首先 你叫什么名字? Sam Kelly: Sam。Greg Gage：很好，Sam， 我接下来要记录你的脑部活动了。你以前做过这个实验吗?SK：没有。GG：我需要你为了科学伸出胳膊，稍微卷起你的袖子，我接下来要做的，是在你的胳膊上贴几个电极，你可能在想，我刚说我要记录你的大脑，这跟胳膊有什么关系?

　　Well, you have about 80 billion neurons inside your brain right now. Theyre sending electrical messages back and forth, and chemical messages. But some of your neurons right here in your motor cortex are going to send messages down when you move your arm like this. Theyre going to go down across your corpus callosum, down onto your spinal cord to your lower motor neuron out to your muscles here, and that electrical discharge is going to be picked up by these electrodes right here and were going to be able to listen to exactly what your brain is going to be doing. So Im going to turn this on for a second.

　　其实，此时此刻在你的大脑内有800亿神经元，它们在来回发送电信号和化学信号。但在这里有一些位于你的运动皮质的神经元，你这样运动胳膊的时候会向下发送信号。这些信号会向下穿过胼胝体，进入你的脊髓，到达下运动神经元，再到达你这里的肌肉，这种电信号释放会被这里的电极接收，于是我们就能够听到你的大脑到底想要做些什么。我来打开这个东西。

　　Have you ever heard what your brain sounds like? SK: No. GG: Lets try it out. So go ahead and squeeze your hand. (Rumbling) So what youre listening to, so this is your motor units happening right here. Lets take a look at it as well. So Im going to stand over here, and Im going to open up our app here. So now I want you to squeeze. (Rumbling)

　　你有听过你的大脑的声音吗?SK：没有。GG：来试试吧。来试着抬肘握一下拳。(隆隆声)你现在听到的，这就是你的运动单元正在此处发挥作用。我们也来看一下好了。我会站在这里，我需要打开我们的应用程序。现在握一下拳，(隆隆声)

　　So right here, these are the motor units that are happening from her spinal cord out to her muscle right here,and as shes doing it, youre seeing the electrical activity thats happening here. You can even click here and try to see one of them. So keep doing it really hard. So now weve paused on one motor action potential thats happening right now inside of your brain.

　　就在这儿，这些就是正在起作用的运动单元，从她的脊椎延伸到这里的肌肉，伴随着她的动作，你可以看到这里的电信号活动。你甚至可以点进去看其中的一个。继续不停地使劲握拳。我们现在暂停在此时此刻正在你脑内的一个运动电势。

　　Do you guys want to see some more? (Applause) Thats interesting, but lets get it better. I need one more volunteer. What is your name, sir? Miguel Goncalves: Miguel. GG: Miguel, all right. Youre going to stand right here. So when youre moving your arm like this, your brain is sending a signal down to your muscles right here.

　　你们想看更多的吗?刚才的那个挺有趣的，不过还有更有意思的。我还需要一名志愿者。先生，请问你的名字是?Miguel Goncalves：Miguel GG：好的，Miguel。你需要站在这里。(对SK)当你在这样握拳的时候，你的大脑向你这里的肌肉发出了信号。(对MG)我想让你也像那样握拳。你的大脑也将向你的肌肉发出信号。

　　I want you to move your arm as well. So your brain is going to send a signal down to your muscles.And so it turns out that there is a nerve thats right here that runs up here that innervates these three fingers,and its close enough to the skin that we might be able to stimulate that so that what we can do is copy your brain signals going out to your hand and inject it into your hand, so that your hand will move when your brain tells your hand to move. So in a sense, she will take away your free will and you will no longer have any control over this hand. You with me?

　　实际上这里有一根神经 一路上来并支配这三根手指的活动，而这根神经又离皮肤足够近，让我们能够刺激它，所以我们能做的是复制从你(SK)的大脑向手臂发出的信号，并把这个信号注入到你(MG)手臂里，于是你的手臂会在 你(SK)的大脑告诉手臂要动的时候动。所以从某种意义上说， (对MG)她会夺走你的自由意志，你将无法控制你自己的这只手。你明白了吗?

　　So I just need to hook you up. (Laughter) So Im going to find your ulnar nerve, which is probably right around here. You dont know what youre signing up for when you come up. So now Im going to move away and were going to plug it in to our human-to-human interface over here.

　　我需要把你连接上。我要找到你的尺神经，大概在这个位置。你上台的时候还不知道将要发生什么吧。我现在要让开，并连接好我们的人对人互动界面。

　　Okay, so Sam, I want you to squeeze your hand again. Do it again. Perfect. So now Im going to hook you up over here so that you get the -- Its going to feel a little bit weird at first, this is going to feel like a -- (Laughter) You know, when you lose your free will, and someone else becomes your agent, it does feel a bit strange.

　　好了，Sam，我想请你再次握一下拳。再做一次。好的，完美。(对MG)我现在要把你连接上，这样你就能接收到刚开始会觉得有点奇怪，你会觉得 -- (笑声)你懂的，当你失去了意志，别人成为了你的代理人，这的确会感觉有点奇怪。

　　Now I want you to relax your hand. Sam, youre with me? So youre going to squeeze. Im not going to turn it on yet, so go ahead and give it a squeeze.

　　我现在需要你放松你的手。Sam，你有在听吧?你现在握拳。我还没要打开机器呢，所以不要担心，先握一下。

　　So now, are you ready, Miguel? MG: Ready as Ill ever be. GG: Ive turned it on, so go ahead and turn your hand. Do you feel that a little bit? MG: Nope. GG: Okay, do it again? MG: A little bit. GG: A little bit? (Laughter) So relax. So hit it again. (Laughter) Oh, perfect, perfect. So relax, do it again.

　　那么现在，你准备好了吗，Miguel?MG：我已经迫不及待了。GG：我已经打开仪器了， (对SK)现在试着握一下拳。你感觉到了吗?MG：没有。GG：好，(对SK)再试一次?MG：有一点。GG：有一点? 好，放松。(对SK)再握一次。(笑声) 完美，完美。放松，再来一次。

　　All right, so right now, your brain is controlling your arm and its also controlling his arm, so go ahead and just do it one more time. All right, so its perfect. (Laughter)

　　好的，此时此刻，你的大脑控制着你的胳膊，同时也在控制他的胳膊，那现在再来一次。很好，简直太完美了。 (笑声)

　　So now, what would happen if I took over my control of your hand? And so, just relax your hand. What happens? Ah, nothing. Why not? Because the brain has to do it. So you do it again. All right, thats perfect.

　　接下来，如果由我来控制你的手呢?放松你的手。发生了什么?啊哦，什么都没有。为什么呢?因为需要大脑去控制。你再来一次。很好，这很完美。

　　Thank you guys for being such a good sport. This is whats happening all across the world --electrophysiology! Were going to bring on the neuro-revolution.

　　谢谢你们如此精彩的配合。这就是目前全世界都在研究的电生理学!我们要引领神经学的革命。

　　Thank you.(Applause)

　　谢谢。