时差N小时 大脑是静止的还是变化的?(上)（在线收听）

Scientists used to think that for all its complexity, the brain was pretty static.

科学家们过去常常认为，大脑因为其复杂性而呈现出静止状态。

Once the brain matured, it essentially stopped growing and changing.

一旦成熟，大脑基本上就会停止生长和变化。

And when neurons, or brain cells, were lost or damaged, they were gone for good.

当神经元或大脑细胞丢失或损坏时，大脑就会坏死掉。

But recent discoveries have caused neuroscientists to change their tune.

但是最近的发现让神经学家改变了看法。

The human brain is anything but static-in fact, it's constantly growing and changing as it adapts to new information and circumstances.

人类的大脑绝不是静止的，事实上，它是随着对新信息和新环境的适应不断生长和变化的。

For example, scientists now know that there's a mechanism in the hippocampus a brain part involved with memory, among other things that gives birth to new brain cells.

举个例子来说，现在科学家们知道大脑内存在一种叫做海马体的记忆机制，可以产成新的大脑细胞。

Scientists don't know exactly why the brain makes new cells or what the cells do.

但是，科学家们不能确切地知道大脑为什么能生成新细胞，而这些细胞又能做什么。

They may have something to do with forming memories, or be used to replace dead or damaged cells.

它们可能和形成记忆有关，或者被用于代替老去或损坏的细胞。