彭蒙惠英语：Magnetism and the Brain（在线收听）

Magnetism and the Brain

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Not a new idea

Using EP-MRSI to treat mental illness is a completely different approach only because of the way the magnetism is applied to the brain. The notion that the brain might respond to magnets and electricity actually goes way back. Franz Anton Mesmer, an 18th-century Swiss physician, developed a theory that the human nervous system was magnetized, just like the Earth. He developed a variety of treatments using magnets, and even claimed to have restored sight to a blind musician.

The EP-MRSI study is an example of burgeoning new research on an old idea—that the brain is an electromagnetic organ and that brain disorders might result from disarray in magnetic function. The idea has huge appeal to psychiatrists and patients alike, since for many people the side effects of psychiatric drugs are almost as difficult to manage as the disease itself. Also, 30 percent of the nearly 18.8 million Americans who suffer from depression do not respond to any of the antidepressants available now.

A new hope for mental illness

What is it about the brain that makes it especially receptive to electromagnetic stimulation? A partial answer can be found in the neuron, the electrically and chemically excitable nerve cell that receives, processes and transmits information in the brain. When neurons are activated by magnets or electricity, the nature of their signals changes—affecting everything from mood to cognition and memory.

“This is a completely different approach in trying to help the brain than anything that was done before”

Most fascinating, perhaps, and most complicating, is the fact that the brain is dynamic, always in physiological flux. What these recent experiments most vividly illustrate is the complexity of the brain’s pathways, the intricacy of its connections, and the concrete hope that may be offered by the power of a magnet to those suffering from the anguish of mental illness.

Vocabulary Focus

disarray (n) [7disE5rei] the state of being confused and lacking organization

side effect (n phr) an unpleasant effect of a drug or therapy that happens in addition to the main effect

flux (n) [flQks] continuous change

intricacy (n) [5intrikEsi] the condition of having a lot of small parts or details that are arranged in a complicated way and are therefore sometimes difficult to understand, solve or produce

Specialized Terms

antidepressant (n) 抗抑郁剂 a drug used to reduce feelings of sadness and anxiety

cognition (n) 认知 the act of thinking or using a conscious mental process