unit39 Turning Thoughts into Actions 化思想为行动

The World Cup final is about to begin. You want to turn on the TV and get to the right channel. So a small area of your brain called the motor cortex (运动皮层) processes and sends intricate electrical signals to your arm and hand, which allow you to pick up the remote control and operate it in time to see the game. But if you don’t have the use of your arms, like people who are paralyzed or have nerve or muscular damage, you have to wait for a caregiver to do it. That is, until this past year.

In June, 2004, a completely paralyzed man underwent surgery to implant¹ a small sensor² in his brain that allows him to write e-mail, play video games, change TV channels and open curtains – using only his thoughts. Although regulatory approval is still several years away, this is the beginning of a new age of neurotechnology. For 20 years researchers studied monkeys to learn how humans go from thought to action and eventually invented a sensor that detects neural³ activity in the brain. This led to development of the BrainGate Neural Interface⁴ System (神经智能界面系统) to be sued in a human clinical trial.

How difficult is this surgery? The surgeon makes a craniotomy () that’s the diameter of a large coin. The sensor, which is the size of an aspirin⁵ with 100 tiny appendages⁶ (附属物), is implanted in the region that issues commands to the arms. The software tells the surgeon exactly where to go and the whole surgical⁷ procedure takes about two and a half hours. Afterwards only a small connector to the computer can be seen from the outside.

How does the system work? The patient directs his thoughts to move the cursor (光标) on his computer screen. The sensor in his brain picks up those hard-to-detect electrical signals and sends them to through three computers that process them into signals just like those from a computer mouse. These processors, which currently sit on a cart and are not mobile, will eventually become wireless⁸ and small enough to fit inside a body. So when he is connected, the patient can just “think” the cursor from place to place on-screen like the rest of us use a mouse. He can also connect to other devices through the computer, such as a TV set, the control that opens and closes the curtains, a powered wheel-chair or even a mechanical hand.

Could the implant allow the patient to walk? No, not yet. Walking is extraordinarily⁹ tough. Not only do you have to move the legs, but you have to balance. And the system doesn’t deal with the balance at all. If you want to understand a bit of what it’s like to be paralyzed, try sitting on your hands for three hours. You can’t do anything.

What if a stem-cell breakthrough allowed us to regenerate¹⁰ nerve function in spinal¹¹-cord-injury (脊髓损伤) patients? Would that make the BrainGate obsolete¹² (过时的)? Let’s hope that happens! But if stem cells are able to regenerate the spinal cord, something will have to give instruction to those growing nerve fibers¹³ on how to hook up. So maybe the device can be used to help instruct the nervous system in how to use the stem cells in a more efficient way.

Could this technology be sued to create super-heros, or super-villains (超级恶棍)? Technology in and of itself is neither good nor bad; it’s how people apply it. Augmentation (加大) of function? Creating super-memory and super-motor abilities? Yes, researchers might come up with all kinds of applications that many people would be uncomfortable with. The ethical¹⁴ implications of these types of devices are worth discussing. But that can’t stop this technology from helping people with disabilities

1 implant   

vt.注入，植入，灌输

参考例句：

• A good teacher should implant high ideals in children.好教师应该把高尚理想灌输给孩子们。
• The operation to implant the artificial heart took two hours.人工心脏植入手术花费了两小时。

2 sensor   

n.传感器，探测设备，感觉器（官）

参考例句：

• The temperature sensor is enclosed in a protective well.温度传感器密封在保护套管中。
• He plugged the sensor into a outlet.他把传感器插进电源插座。

3 neural   

adj.神经的，神经系统的

参考例句：

• The neural network can preferably solve the non- linear problem.利用神经网络建模可以较好地解决非线性问题。
• The information transmission in neural system depends on neurotransmitters.信息传递的神经途径有赖于神经递质。

4 interface   

n.接合部位，分界面；v.(使)互相联系

参考例句：

• My computer has a network interface,which allows me to get to other computers.我的计算机有网络接口可以与其它计算机连在一起。
• This program has perspicuous interface and extensive application. 该程序界面明了，适用范围广。

5 aspirin   

n.阿司匹林

参考例句：

• The aspirin seems to quiet the headache.阿司匹林似乎使头痛减轻了。
• She went into a chemist's and bought some aspirin.她进了一家药店，买了些阿司匹林。

6 appendages   

n.附属物( appendage的名词复数 )；依附的人；附属器官；附属肢体（如臂、腿、尾等）

参考例句：

• The 11th segment carries a pair of segmented appendages, the cerci. 第十一节有一对分节的附肢，即尾须。 来自辞典例句
• Paired appendages, with one on each side of the body, are common in many animals. 很多动物身上有成对的附肢，一侧一个，这是很普遍的现象。 来自辞典例句

7 surgical   

adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的

参考例句：

• He performs the surgical operations at the Red Cross Hospital.他在红十字会医院做外科手术。
• All surgical instruments must be sterilised before use.所有的外科手术器械在使用之前，必须消毒。

8 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

9 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。

10 regenerate   

vt.使恢复，使新生；vi.恢复，再生；adj.恢复的

参考例句：

• Their aim is to regenerate British industry.他们的目的是复兴英国的工业。
• Although it is not easy,you have the power to regenerate your life.尽管这不容易，但你有使生活重获新生的能力。

11 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。

12 obsolete   

adj.已废弃的，过时的

参考例句：

• These goods are obsolete and will not fetch much on the market.这些货品过时了，在市场上卖不了高价。
• They tried to hammer obsolete ideas into the young people's heads.他们竭力把陈旧思想灌输给青年。

13 fibers   

光纤( fiber的名词复数 )； （织物的）质地； 纤维，纤维物质

参考例句：

• Thesolution of collagen-PVA was wet spined with the sodium sulfate as coagulant and collagen-PVA composite fibers were prepared. 在此基础上，以硫酸钠为凝固剂，对胶原-PVA共混溶液进行湿法纺丝，制备了胶原-PVA复合纤维。
• Sympathetic fibers are distributed to all regions of the heart. 交感神经纤维分布于心脏的所有部分。

14 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。