PBS高端访谈:研究表明创伤效应会遗传给后代

 　　STEPHEN FEE: Fifty-nine-year-old Karen Sonneberg grew up on the North Shore of Long Island, just an hour's drive from New York City. Her parents survived the Holocaust¹ but rarely mentioned it.

　　KAREN SONNEBERG: "All I knew was that we were different, that I was different. I didn't exactly know why."

　　STEPHEN FEE: Her parents were Jewish, born in Germany – but after Hitler came to power, their families fled. Sonneberg's parents were just children but carried the traumas³ of Nazi⁴ oppression throughout their lives.

　　KAREN SONNEBERG: My mother from the time she was three on, For my father, from the time he was five or six-years-old, he was subjected to the painful existence in Germany."

　　STEPHEN FEE: Despite her own comfortable upbringing here in the US, Sonneberg privately⁵ struggled for years with anxiety and stress. While she couldn't prove it, she believed it was somehow linked to her parents' traumatic childhoods.

　　KAREN SONNEBERG: "Having discussed this with many of my friends who come from similar backgrounds, it seems to be consistent in most of us, or we've had the same challenges. There were definitely challenges that quote unquote ‘American' kids didn't seem to have experienced."

　　STEPHEN FEE: "Even though you weren't there."

　　KAREN SONNEBERG: "Exactly. That's the amazing part of it."

　　STEPHEN FEE: Now, a new study published this month in the scientific journal Biological Psychiatry⁶, bolsters⁷ Sonneberg's belief that she experienced the after effects of her parents' trauma².

　　Dr. Rachel Yehuda, director of Mount Sinai's Traumatic Stress Studies Division led the study. Her team interviewed and drew blood from 32 sets of survivors⁹ and their children, focusing on a gene¹⁰ called FKBP5

　　RACHEL YEHUDA, ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MT. SINAI: "We already know that this is a gene that contributes to risk for depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder¹¹."

　　STEPHEN FEE: Yehuda noticed a pattern among the Holocaust survivors called an "epigenetic change" — not a change in the gene itself, but rather a change in a chemical marker attached to it.

　　RACHEL YEHUDA, ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MT. SINAI: "When we looked at their own children, their children also had an epigenetic change in the same spot on a stress-related gene."

　　STEPHEN FEE: "What does that suggest?"

　　RACHEL YEHUDA, ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MT. SINAI: "Well, in the first generation, in the Holocaust survivor⁸, it suggests that there has been an adaptation or a response to a horrendous¹³ environmental event, and in the second generation it suggests that there has also been a response of the offspring to this parental¹⁴ trauma."

　　STEPHEN FEE: Which means children of Holocaust survivors like Sonneberg could be more likely to develop stress or anxiety disorders¹⁵.

　　Though their study was small, Yehuda and her team controlled for any early trauma the survivors' children may have experienced themselves.

　　STEPHEN FEE: "How is it that a parent who was subjected to the trauma of the Holocaust is able to somehow transmit that to a child who wasn't there?"

　　RACHEL YEHUDA, ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MT. SINAI: "That's a really good question, and this study that we did doesn't address ‘the how.'

　　The study that we did just provides a proof of concept that we might be able to identify the how if we do more research."

　　STEPHEN FEE: DNA¹⁶ is passed from parents to children. But research like Yehuda's suggests parental life experiences can modify their body chemistry — and those modifications¹⁷ can be transmitted to children as well.

　　Scientists have examined this idea before. After a famine in Holland during 1944 and 1945, children were born with the effects of malnutrition¹⁸ two generations after the food shortage ended.

　　Previously¹⁹, Yehuda herself studied stress hormone²⁰ levels in children born to women who survived the September 11th terrorist attacks.

　　She's been examining the link between trauma experienced by Holocaust survivors and their children for more than 20 years.

　　RACHEL YEHUDA, ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MT. SINAI: "A trauma is an event that changes you. It doesn't have to change you for the negative. Trauma changes you in lots of different ways, but most people who experience extreme trauma learn a great deal from that experience, and some of those lessons may be lessons that are transmitted to the child, and that's not a bad thing."

　　STEPHEN FEE: Yehuda says the implications aren't limited to Holocaust survivors. But this dwindling²¹ population provides insight into how clinicians understand and treat stress disorders.

　　RACHEL YEHUDA, ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MT. SINAI: "If you're at risk for heart disease, a lot of times the doctor can separate out well this is your weight, that's not good, this is your diet, these are you genetic¹² risks, and things like that. And it would be very nice if we could develop a similar risk profile in the mental health arena²² where we would be able to understand where the risk factors come from for depression and anxiety."

　　STEPHEN FEE: "We're on the tenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

　　There were children who were born after that trauma. There are children born in the trauma of a war in Syria and other crises around the world. If you're the child of a parent who experienced trauma, are you doomed²³ to be depressed²⁴ or stressed for the rest of your life?"

　　RACHEL YEHUDA, ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MT. SINAI: "I don't think you're doomed. But I think that many children of traumatized parents have struggled with depression and anxiety. And I can tell you that many of them have felt relieved that there might be a contributing factor that has been based on how they're responding to their parental trauma. I think that it's helped people work through a lot of that depression and anxiety."

　　STEPHEN FEE: Relief is exactly what Karen Sonneberg, the child of Holocaust survivors, felt after she participated in one of Dr. Yehuda's trauma survivor studies. She lost her mother 30 years ago but looks forward to her father's 90th birthday next year.

　　KAREN SONNEBERG: "I learned to cope in my life. I've learned to move on and get over all of this. Had I known at the time how my reactions could impact future children, my children's reactions, I might've dealt with things differently or gotten them some sort of treatment that maybe would help them in the future."

1 holocaust   

n.大破坏；大屠杀

参考例句：

• The Auschwitz concentration camp always remind the world of the holocaust.奥辛威茨集中营总是让世人想起大屠杀。
• Ahmadinejad is denying the holocaust because he's as brutal as Hitler was.内贾德否认大屠杀，因为他像希特勒一样残忍。

2 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

3 traumas   

n.心灵创伤( trauma的名词复数 )；损伤；痛苦经历；挫折

参考例句：

• She felt exhausted after the traumas of recent weeks. 她经受了最近几个星期的痛苦之后感到精疲力竭。
• Conclusion: Safety lens of spectacles can protect the occurrence of ocular traumas. 结论：安全镜片可以预防眼镜碎片所致的眼外伤。 来自互联网

4 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

5 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

6 psychiatry   

n.精神病学，精神病疗法

参考例句：

• The study appeared in the Amercian science Journal of Psychiatry.这个研究发表在美国精神病学的杂志上。
• A physician is someone who specializes in psychiatry.精神病专家是专门从事精神病治疗的人。

7 bolsters   

n.长枕( bolster的名词复数 )；垫子；衬垫；支持物v.支持( bolster的第三人称单数 )；支撑；给予必要的支持；援助

参考例句：

• He used a couple of bolsters to elevate his head. 他用两个垫枕垫头。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The double-row piles with both inclined and horizontal bolsters also analyzed in consideration of staged excavation. 本文亦分析了考虑开挖过程的安置斜撑与带支撑的双排桩支护结构。 来自互联网

8 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

9 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

10 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

11 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

12 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

13 horrendous   

adj.可怕的，令人惊惧的

参考例句：

• He described it as the most horrendous experience of his life.他形容这是自己一生中最可怕的经历。
• The mining industry in China has a horrendous safety record.中国的煤矿工业具有令人不安的安全记录。

14 parental   

adj.父母的；父的；母的

参考例句：

• He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。
• Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。

15 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

17 modifications   

n.缓和( modification的名词复数 )；限制；更改；改变

参考例句：

• The engine was pulled apart for modifications and then reassembled. 发动机被拆开改型，然后再组装起来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The original plan had undergone fairly extensive modifications. 原计划已经作了相当大的修改。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

19 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

20 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

21 dwindling   

adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The number of wild animals on the earth is dwindling. 地球上野生动物的数量正日渐减少。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is struggling to come to terms with his dwindling authority. 他正努力适应自己权力被削弱这一局面。 来自辞典例句

22 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

23 doomed   

命定的

参考例句：

• The court doomed the accused to a long term of imprisonment. 法庭判处被告长期监禁。
• A country ruled by an iron hand is doomed to suffer. 被铁腕人物统治的国家定会遭受不幸的。

24 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。