美国国家公共电台 NPR Neuroscientists Debate A Simple Question: How Does The Brain Store A Phone Number?

 

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

About 30,000 brain scientists are meeting in San Diego this weekend. And when neuroscientists meet, it's often the most simple questions that generate the most intense debate. NPR's Jon Hamilton reports on one ongoing¹ controversy². It involves a deceptively simple question. How do we remember a phone number?

JON HAMILTON, BYLINE³: A phone number or any other bit of information we need to keep in mind for just a few seconds. These bits are stored in something called working memory. And Earl Miller⁴ of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology says this type of memory affects just about everything the brain does.

EARL MILLER: Working memory is the sketchpad of your mind. It's the contents of your conscious thoughts. It's how you hold thoughts in mind, how you manipulate them, how you deliberate over thoughts, how you choose when to act or not to act.

HAMILTON: And Christos Constantinidis from Wake Forest University says that's not all.

CHRISTOS CONSTANTINIDIS: Working memory's a core component⁵ of higher cognitive⁶ functions, like planning or language or intelligence.

HAMILTON: The two scientists agree about the importance of working memory, but they disagree about how it works. And, at the Society for Neuroscience meeting, each is presenting research that supports their position. Constantinidis backs what he calls the standard model, which has been around for decades. It says that when we need to remember a phone number, neurons in the front of the brain start firing and keep firing.

CONSTANTINIDIS: And it is this persistent⁷ activity of neurons in the prefrontal cortex that allows you to maintain this information in memory.

HAMILTON: So if those neurons were to stop firing, that number would go away?

CONSTANTINIDIS: Precisely⁸.

HAMILTON: But Earl Miller says it's not that simple. His team used the latest technology to study clusters of neurons in working memory. And they found that, instead of firing all the time, most of these neurons were firing in brief coordinated⁹ bursts.

MILLER: This doesn't sound like a big difference. But, actually, it has a huge functional¹⁰ implications.

HAMILTON: One is that the brain must have some way of retaining the bits of information in working memory between bursts. Miller's explanation is that the neurons are communicating with other parts of the brain, including networks involved in long-term memory. This allows information from working memory to be stored in a latent form, much the way long-term memories are. Miller says that would explain how we can hold onto a phone number, even if we get distracted, momentarily.

MILLER: If you drop your coffee on the way to the phone, you're activity in your brain switches to the dropping of the coffee. But, then, because these memories are stored in latent form, they can be reactivated.

HAMILTON: Miller says if working memory really does communicate with other parts of the brain, it could explain one of the great mysteries of neuroscience.

MILLER: Well, what it opens up is the most difficult but the most exciting question about working memory, which is volition¹¹, how you gain control of your own thoughts.

HAMILTON: Christos Constantinidis says Miller is correct that working memory neurons do produce rhythmic¹² bursts of activity, but he says the rest is speculation¹³.

CONSTANTINIDIS: The theory's very attractive on theoretical grounds. The problem with the theory is that, so far, there has been no experimental evidence linking this critical variable with behavior.

HAMILTON: Constantinidis says changes in the amount of rhythmic firing don't seem to have much effect on working memory. And he says Miller's contention¹⁴ that working memory is linked to long-term memory just doesn't hold up.

CONSTANTINIDIS: We have clinical cases of patients for whom working memory is profoundly impaired¹⁵. And yet their long-term memory is intact.

HAMILTON: So, for the moment, Constantinidis is standing¹⁶ by the standard model. And he says, during the neuroscience meeting, he'll be taking a skeptical¹⁷ look at the research coming from Miller's lab.

CONSTANTINIDIS: As scientists, that's what we do. We try to poke¹⁸ holes in each other's theories and this debate. I think that's what makes science fun.

HAMILTON: Jon Hamilton, NPR News.

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

5 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

6 cognitive   

adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的

参考例句：

• As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
• The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。

7 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

8 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

9 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

10 functional   

adj.为实用而设计的，具备功能的，起作用的

参考例句：

• The telephone was out of order,but is functional now.电话刚才坏了，但现在可以用了。
• The furniture is not fancy,just functional.这些家具不是摆着好看的，只是为了实用。

11 volition   

n.意志；决意

参考例句：

• We like to think that everything we do and everything we think is a product of our volition.我们常常认为我们所做和所想的一切都出自自己的意愿。
• Makin said Mr Coombes had gone to the police of his own volition.梅金说库姆斯先生是主动去投案的。

12 rhythmic   

adj.有节奏的，有韵律的

参考例句：

• Her breathing became more rhythmic.她的呼吸变得更有规律了。
• Good breathing is slow,rhythmic and deep.健康的呼吸方式缓慢深沉而有节奏。

13 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

14 contention   

n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张

参考例句：

• The pay increase is the key point of contention. 加薪是争论的焦点。
• The real bone of contention,as you know,is money.你知道，争论的真正焦点是钱的问题。

15 impaired   

adj.受损的；出毛病的；有（身体或智力）缺陷的v.损害，削弱( impair的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Much reading has impaired his vision. 大量读书损害了他的视力。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His hearing is somewhat impaired. 他的听觉已受到一定程度的损害。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

16 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

17 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

18 poke   

n.刺，戳，袋；vt.拨开，刺，戳；vi.戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• We never thought she would poke her nose into this.想不到她会插上一手。
• Don't poke fun at me.别拿我凑趣儿。