2022年经济学人 脊椎植入物可以让瘫痪者再次行走

Science & Technology

科技版块

Neurology

神经学

Standing¹ ovation²

站起来热烈欢迎

Spinal³ implants⁴ allow the paralysed to walk, swim and cycle again

脊椎植入物可以让瘫痪者再次行走、游泳和骑车

Four years ago Michel Roccati was involved in a motorcycle accident.

四年前，米歇尔·罗卡蒂(Michel Roccati)遭受了一场摩托车事故。

He suffered what neurologists call a "complete" spinal-cord injury—he lost all sensation below the site of the damage to his spine⁵ and he could no longer move his legs.

他遭受了神经学家所说的“完全”脊髓损伤——脊椎损伤部位以下完全失去知觉，双腿也不能动了。

In December last year, however, the young Italian stood up on the streets of Lausanne, Switzerland, and took a short walk.

然而，去年12月，这位年轻的意大利人站在瑞士洛桑的街道上，走了一小段路。

Mr Roccati's remarkable⁶ steps, supported by a wheeled walking frame, were the conclusion of more than a decade of work by Grégoire Courtine, a neuroscientist at the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, and Jocelyne Bloch, a neurosurgeon at Lausanne University Hospital.

在轮式行走支架的支撑下，罗卡蒂迈出了惊人的步伐，这是洛桑联邦理工学院神经科学家格雷瓜尔·库尔廷(Grégoire Courtle)和洛桑大学医院(Lausanne University Hospital)神经外科医生乔斯琳·布洛赫(Jocelyne Bloch)十多年的研究成果。

The scientists had fitted Mr Roccati with a device that stimulated⁷ nerves in his back that once controlled muscles in his lower body and legs, but which had lain dormant⁸ since his accident.

科学家们在罗卡蒂先生身上安装了一种刺激背部神经的装置，这些神经曾经控制他下半身和腿部的肌肉，但自从他发生事故后就一直处于休眠状态。

Even after a severe spinal injury, the nerves that control activities such as walking often remain intact below any damaged tissue.

即使在严重的脊椎损伤之后，控制行走等活动的神经通常都保持完好。

In people with paralysis⁹, however, the damaged tissue interrupts or weakens any electrical signals coming from the brain.

然而，对于瘫痪的人来说，受损的组织会中断或减弱来自大脑的任何电信号。

Dr Courtine and Dr Bloch developed a wafer-thin device with electrodes that could target the dormant nerves.

库尔廷博士和布洛赫博士开发了一种极薄的设备，其电极可以瞄准休眠的神经。

Once implanted into Mr Roccati's back, the device sent in pulses of electricity that mimicked¹⁰ those normally present in the nerves of an uninjured person as they walk.

一旦植入罗卡蒂先生的背部，这种装置就会发出电脉冲，模拟正常的人行走时神经中通常存在的电脉冲。

By doing this, the device acted like an amplifier for any electrical signals coming from Mr Roccati's brain.

通过这样做，该设备就像是一个放大器，可以接收来自罗卡蒂大脑的任何电信号。

Those signals would normally be blocked by his damaged spinal tissue and be incapable¹¹ of activating¹² the nerves in his lower back.

在正常情况下，这些信号通常会被他受损的脊椎组织阻挡，无法激活他背部下部的神经。

But with the stimulation¹³ device in place, Mr Roccati was able to voluntarily control those once-dormant nerves, allowing him to move his legs and walk.

但有了刺激装置，罗卡蒂就能够自主控制那些曾经休眠的神经，让他能够移动双腿和行走。

Mr Roccati was one of three paralysed volunteers who took part in a small clinical trial of the device, details of which were published this week in the journal Nature Medicine.

罗卡蒂是参与该设备小型临床试验的三名瘫痪志愿者之一，该试验的细节本周发表在《自然医学》杂志上。

The device worked well enough that all three users in the trial were able to stand up and take a few steps almost immediately after they had recovered from the surgery to have it implanted.

该设备运行良好，试验中的三名用户在植入手术恢复后几乎都能立即站起来走几步。

This was a marked improvement on previous implementations of this kind of technology, in which scientists had repurposed nerve implants normally used to treat chronic¹⁴ pain.

这与之前这种技术的实施相比是一个显著的进步，科学家们重新调整了通常用于治疗慢性疼痛的神经植入物。

In the few instances where those experiments had been successful, it had taken many months of training for patients to learn to walk again.

在少数几个实验成功的案例中，患者需要经过数月的训练才能重新学会走路。

Dr Courtine's and Dr Bloch's new device can be configured to fire its electrical impulses in many different patterns, each of which corresponds to a different activity.

库尔廷博士和布洛赫博士的新设备可以配置成以许多不同的模式发射电脉冲，每种模式都对应于不同的活动。

Patients in the trial were not only able to stand and walk, but eventually also to swim and cycle.

试验中的患者不仅能站立和行走，而且最终还能游泳和骑自行车。

The new device will need approval from medical regulators before it can be used in clinics.

这种新设备需要获得医疗监管机构的批准，才能在临床上使用。

Its inventors set up a company called NeuroRestore, which is working with Onward¹⁵ Medical, a Dutch company, to commercialise their new device.

它的发明者成立了一家名为NeuroRestore的公司，该公司正与荷兰公司Onward Medical合作，将他们的新设备商业化。

The impact of the device on the lives of those in the small Swiss trial, however, has already been dramatic.

然而，在瑞士进行的小规模试验中，该设备对那些患者的生活产生了巨大的影响。

Mr Roccati highlights the little things — walking up stairs, for example, or standing in the shower.

罗卡蒂先生强调了一些小事——比如，走上楼梯，或者站着淋浴。

At a bar, he can stand up to chat with friends.

在酒吧里，他可以站起来和朋友聊天。

After training, he is now also able to walk around for two hours every day.

经过训练，他现在也可以每天走两个小时了。

"With the walker," he says. "I am free."

“用助行器，”他说。“我是自由的。”

1 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。

2 ovation   

n.欢呼，热烈欢迎，热烈鼓掌

参考例句：

• The hero received a great ovation from the crowd. 那位英雄受到人群的热烈欢迎。
• The show won a standing ovation. 这场演出赢得全场起立鼓掌。

3 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。

4 implants   

n.（植入身体中的）移植物( implant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters. 激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Perhaps the most far-reaching project is an initiative called Living Implants From Engineering (LIFE). 也许最具深远意义的项目，是刚刚启动的建造活体移植工程 (LIFE)。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 医学的第四次革命

5 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

6 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

7 stimulated   

a.刺激的

参考例句：

• The exhibition has stimulated interest in her work. 展览增进了人们对她作品的兴趣。
• The award has stimulated her into working still harder. 奖金促使她更加努力地工作。

8 dormant   

adj.暂停活动的；休眠的；潜伏的

参考例句：

• Many animals are in a dormant state during winter.在冬天许多动物都处于睡眠状态。
• This dormant volcano suddenly fired up.这座休眠火山突然爆发了。

9 paralysis   

n.麻痹(症)；瘫痪(症)

参考例句：

• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。
• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。

10 mimicked   

v.（尤指为了逗乐而）模仿( mimic的过去式和过去分词 )；酷似

参考例句：

• He mimicked her upper-class accent. 他模仿她那上流社会的腔调。 来自辞典例句
• The boy mimicked his father's voice and set everyone off laughing. 男孩模仿他父亲的嗓音，使大家都大笑起来。 来自辞典例句

11 incapable   

adj.无能力的，不能做某事的

参考例句：

• He would be incapable of committing such a cruel deed.他不会做出这么残忍的事。
• Computers are incapable of creative thought.计算机不会创造性地思维。

12 activating   

活动的，活性的

参考例句：

• "I didn't say we'd got to stop activating the masses! “我并没说就此不发动！ 来自子夜部分
• Presumably both the very small size and activating influence of fluorine atoms contribute to this exception. 这大概是由于氟原子半径小和活性高这两个原因的影响，氟原子对这种例外做出了贡献。

13 stimulation   

n.刺激，激励，鼓舞

参考例句：

• The playgroup provides plenty of stimulation for the children.幼儿游戏组给孩子很多启发。
• You don't get any intellectual stimulation in this job.你不能从这份工作中获得任何智力启发。

14 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

15 onward   

adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先

参考例句：

• The Yellow River surges onward like ten thousand horses galloping.黄河以万马奔腾之势滚滚向前。
• He followed in the steps of forerunners and marched onward.他跟随着先辈的足迹前进。