2007年VOA标准英语-Watching a Thought as It Takes Shape in the Bra

By Paul Sisco
Washington
13 April 2007

Brain scan illustration of thought formation

Researchers studying how the brain works say they have begun to be able to see a thought as it forms in the human mind.  Scientists in Germany at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive¹ and Brain Sciences say their brain scans at the moment a person makes a mental choice could have big implications for efforts to control many difficult mental disorders³.  VOA's Paul Sisco reports.

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute in Germany want to know how thought works. They report their sophisticated scans have captured images of the human brain making a choice.  Some say this has clarified the physical basis of free will.

The process involves magnetic resonance⁴ imaging that essentially⁵ illustrates⁶ what a person's intention is -- what thought the subject is forming -- from a detailed⁷ computer analysis of brain activity patterns. 

John Dylan-Haynes leads the research. "We used a technique where you basically shine like a torch around the brain to visualize⁸ that, you search through the brain for regions where you can tell what a person is intending to do," he explains, "and we found such a reason that was very powerful in telling what a person's current plans are."

In the medial prefrontal cortex, they discovered slight differences in patterns of activity when subjects were asked to choose whether to add or subtract two numbers.  Brain-scan images were taken at the moment they chose either "add" or "subtract."  After hundreds of tests, the data began to form recognizable patterns. 

The green regions on an image of the brain are where intentions or plans are stored.  The red is where actions are being carried out in the moment.  "Apparently⁹ when our plans are carried into execution, they get copied to a different part of the brain to be executed," explains Dylan-Haynes.

Tanya Steinbach was a study participant. "You are just told to focus on the task, and that is normally what you do.  Sometimes, you know, I had to force myself to stay awake, because it's a little tiring..."

In the Hollywood film "Minority Report," authorities use mind-reading technology to target individuals.  Is that a concern?

Professor Colin Blackmore oversees¹⁰ the research at the Max Planck Institute.  "Can we look forward to a world in which we will be scanned as we walk through airports, and they will know all about us and what we are thinking?  Not only do I think that is unlikely, but it is important to point out that scientists have started to think about those issues already."

He says this kind of basic research has enormous potential for medical science. "There are very serious cognitive conditions like autism, schizophrenia, obsessive¹¹ compulsive disorder², in which people have difficulty in controlling their own intentions and actions," adds Blackmore.

A skeptic¹² says the effort in Germany is aimed at "machines that can look into your soul," but the scientists hope their research will lead to new understanding of these perplexing and difficult disorders.

1 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。

2 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。

3 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》

4 resonance   

n.洪亮；共鸣；共振

参考例句：

• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments.一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。
• The areas under the two resonance envelopes are unequal.两个共振峰下面的面积是不相等的。

5 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

6 illustrates   

给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明

参考例句：

• This historical novel illustrates the breaking up of feudal society in microcosm. 这部历史小说是走向崩溃的封建社会的缩影。
• Alfred Adler, a famous doctor, had an experience which illustrates this. 阿尔弗莱德 - 阿德勒是一位著名的医生，他有过可以说明这点的经历。 来自中级百科部分

7 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

8 visualize   

vt.使看得见，使具体化，想象，设想

参考例句：

• I remember meeting the man before but I can't visualize him.我记得以前见过那个人，但他的样子我想不起来了。
• She couldn't visualize flying through space.她无法想像在太空中飞行的景象。

9 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

10 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

11 obsessive   

adj. 着迷的, 强迫性的, 分神的

参考例句：

• Some people are obsessive about cleanliness.有些人有洁癖。
• He's becoming more and more obsessive about punctuality.他对守时要求越来越过分了。

12 skeptic   

n.怀疑者，怀疑论者，无神论者

参考例句：

• She is a skeptic about the dangers of global warming.她是全球变暖危险的怀疑论者。
• How am I going to convince this skeptic that she should attention to my research?我将如何使怀疑论者确信她应该关注我的研究呢？