The brain is an amazing and complex organ. And while many people are fascinated by the brain, they can't really tell you that much about the properties about how the brain works because we don't teach neuroscience in schools.
大腦,是個令人驚奇又複雜的器官。 雖然很多人對大腦深深著迷, 但他們其實無法深入的告訴你 大腦運作時的詳細特性。 因為學校教育裡並沒有 教我們神經科學。
And one of the reasons why is that the equipment is so complex and so expensive that it's 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.
原因之一, 是因為神經科學的儀器 實在太複雜也太昂貴了, 所以只有在重點大學 和一些大型研究機構裡面才有。 因此,若想接觸大腦, 你真的需要投注生命、 花上六年半的時間讀研究所 只為了成為神經科學家, 如此才能接觸這些儀器。
And that's a shame because one out of five of us, that's 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.
這樣很可惜, 因為我們平均五個人裡,就有一個 患有某種神經方面的失調, 這大約佔了全球人口的 20%。 目前這些疾病都無法完全治癒。 所以,我們似乎有個要務, 我們要設法在早期的教育裡 教導學生神經科學的知識, 好讓「腦神經學家」成為 他們未來的人生選項之一。 我在讀研究所的時候, 我和我的實驗室夥伴Tim Marzullo決定:
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 enough that anyone that you know, an amateur or a high school student, could learn and actually participate in the discovery of neuroscience.
我們何不以實驗室裡 一台研究腦部的精密儀器為藍圖, 把儀器簡化、讓它可以更便宜, 好讓每個人,像是非專業的人、 或高中生, 可以學習、甚至參與 神經科學的發現過程?
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?
因此我們付諸實踐了。 幾年前,我們創立了一間公司, 名為「後院天才」(Backyard Brains) 我們自製了一些神經科學儀器, 今晚也帶了一些過來。 我要做一些展示。 你們想看嗎?
So I need a volunteer. So right before -- what is your name? (Applause) Sam Kelly: Sam. Greg Gage: All right, Sam, I'm 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 I'm going to do, I'm putting electrodes on your arm, and you're probably wondering, I just said I'm going to record from your brain, what am I doing with your arm?
好,我需要一個志願者。 好,在此之前......妳叫什麼名字? (掌聲) 莎姆:莎姆。 葛雷格:好的,莎姆, 我現在要錄下妳的腦部訊號。 妳做過這種事嗎? 莎姆:沒有。 葛雷格:請妳為了科學,伸出手吧, 袖子捲上來一點, 好,我現在要做的是, 我要在妳的手臂放上電極。 妳現在可能在想, 你剛剛不是說要錄下我的腦部訊號? 跟手臂有什麼關係?
Well, you have about 80 billion neurons inside your brain right now. They're 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. They're 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 we're going to be able to listen to exactly what your brain is going to be doing. So I'm going to turn this on for a second.
事實上,妳的腦部大概有八百億個神經元, 它們負責傳遞電子訊號, 以及化學訊號, 但其中有一些 運動皮質區的神經元, 會在妳運動手臂時, 送出訊號, 這些訊號從妳的胼胝體傳下來, 經過妳的脊髓, 下達到運動神經元, 再傳到妳這裡的肌肉。 而這些電子訊號 會被妳手臂上的電極捕捉到。 所以我們可以聽到 妳的腦部所發出的指令。 好,我現在開機一下。 妳曾經聽過腦部發出的聲音嗎?
Have you ever heard what your brain sounds like? SK: No. GG: Let's try it out. So go ahead and squeeze your hand. (Rumbling) So what you're listening to, so this is your motor units happening right here. Let's take a look at it as well. So I'm going to stand over here, and I'm going to open up our app here. So now I want you to squeeze. (Rumbling)
莎姆:沒有。 葛雷格:沒關係,我們試試看。 現在妳手用力。 (聲響) 所以現在你們聽到的是 妳這裡運動神經元所接收到的訊號。 我們也可以看到這些訊號。 我現在要站到這裡來, 打開我的應用程式。 好,現在手用力。 (聲響)
So right here, these are the motor units that are happening from her spinal cord out to her muscle right here, and as she's doing it, you're seeing the electrical activity that's happening here. You can even click here and try to see one of them. So keep doing it really hard. So now we've paused on one motor action potential that's happening right now inside of your brain.
現在看到的這個, 就是運動神經元的訊號, 訊號是從她的脊髓 傳遞到她這邊的肌肉, 所以當她做動作的時候, 妳可以看到其中的 電流活動。 你還可以點選其中一個波段來細看。 所以請繼續用力握。 好,我們現在停在 妳的腦部裡面其中一個訊號 正要觸發動作的時刻。 你們想看多一點嗎?
Do you guys want to see some more? (Applause) That's interesting, but let's get it better. I need one more volunteer. What is your name, sir? Miguel Goncalves: Miguel. GG: Miguel, all right. You're going to stand right here. So when you're moving your arm like this, your brain is sending a signal down to your muscles right here. 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 that's right here that runs up here that innervates these three fingers, and it's 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?
(掌聲) 剛剛很有趣, 不過我們來點更棒的。 我需要另一名志願者。 好的。先生,你叫甚麼名字? 米格爾:米格爾。 葛雷格:米格爾,很好。 請你站在這裡。 好,所以,當妳這樣動妳的手時, 妳的腦會送訊息到 妳這裡的肌肉。 我要請你也移動你的手。 好,所以你的大腦也會送訊息到你的肌肉。 很碰巧的,在這裡, 有一條神經 它會牽動你的 這三根手指, 而這條神經離皮膚非常的近, 所以我們可能可以 直接刺激這條神經。 因此,我們可以 複製妳腦部要送到妳手臂的訊號 然後注入他的手臂, 所以你的手,會在她的大腦命令 她的手運動時,跟著一起運動。 也就是說,她會奪走你的自由意志, 你不再能掌握你自己的這隻手。好嗎? 你們聽懂了嗎?
So I just need to hook you up. (Laughter) So I'm going to find your ulnar nerve, which is probably right around here. You don't know what you're signing up for when you come up. So now I'm going to move away and we're going to plug it in to our human-to-human interface over here.
所以我要幫你們連線了。 (笑聲) 我要找一下你的尺骨神經, 大概在這裡吧。 你上台時不知道我會這樣玩你吧。 好,現在我要站到一邊去, 啟動我們的「人傳人」的界面。
Okay, so Sam, I want you to squeeze your hand again. Do it again. Perfect. So now I'm going to hook you up over here so that you get the -- It's 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.
好的,那麼......莎姆,請妳再握緊妳的手。 再握一次。好,很好。 好,我現在要把你跟莎姆連線了, 你將會...... 一開始感覺會有點怪, 感覺會有點像...... (笑聲) 你知道,如果你失去了自由意志, 而別人反而變成主宰, 那種感覺真的怪怪的。
Now I want you to relax your hand. Sam, you're with me? So you're going to squeeze. I'm not going to turn it on yet, so go ahead and give it a squeeze.
現在,請你放鬆你的手。 莎姆,妳有跟上嗎? 好,請妳手用力。 我現在還沒打開連線, 所以儘量用力。
So now, are you ready, Miguel? MG: Ready as I'll ever be. GG: I've 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.
好,米格爾,你準備好了嗎? 米格爾:好了,再好不過。 葛雷格:我現在打開了, 請轉動你的手。 有感覺到了嗎? 米格爾:沒。 葛雷格:OK,再試試看? 米格爾:有一點。 葛雷格:有一點? (笑聲) 放輕鬆⋯ 再試試看。 (笑聲) 噢,太棒了,太棒了。 好,放鬆,再試試看。
All right, so right now, your brain is controlling your arm and it's also controlling his arm, so go ahead and just do it one more time. All right, so it's perfect. (Laughter)
好了。所以現在⋯⋯ 所以現在:妳的腦控制著妳的手臂, 而且也控制著他的手臂, 所以妳再用力一次試試看。 好了,非常完美。 (笑聲)
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, that's perfect.
所以現在,如果是 由我來控制妳的這隻手呢? 好,妳手放鬆。 現在怎麼樣? 啊~沒反應。 為什麼? 因為必須要由腦來控制才有用。 所以再試一次。 好了,很完美。
Thank you guys for being such a good sport. This is what's happening all across the world -- electrophysiology! We're going to bring on the neuro-revolution.
感謝兩位, 讓大家有愉快時光。 這是全世界都在發生的事—— 電流生理學! 我們要準備掀起 神經元革命了。
Thank you.
感謝各位。
(Applause)
(掌聲)