VOA常速英语2018--鸣禽或可助人类攻克语言障碍（在线收听）

The tiny brain of this zebra finch may help scientists answer questions on how people form words to talk. Like humans songbirds learn to vocalize by imitation. We’re able to not only just study the mechanisms of how vocal learning works in these songbirds, but translate those findings to humans. And the reason why is because we discovered that songbirds and humans have what we called convergent brain pathways and genes. That are specialized in them that you don’t find in things like chicken.

这只斑胸草雀的小脑袋瓜或许能助力科学家了解人类是如何组织并表达语言的。跟人类一样，鸣禽也是通过模仿来说话的。我们不仅能研究这些鸣禽的发声机制，还能将其为人类所用。原因是：我们发现，鸣禽和人类的脑回路和基因都是聚敛型的。这是鸣禽类特有的，鸡类就没有这个特点。

Researchers from Rockefeller University in New York are using laser capture microscopy,a method of isolating cells from microscopic regions of tissues and cells, to get an in-depth look at the songbirds brains. Those images are helping them understand how signals from the birds brains are similar to the process humans use when learning to talk. We find stuttering in songbirds, we can induce a Parkinson like conditioning then that causes stuttering. And then we can use that to figure out how to repair and then try to induce that in a brain like a human to see if we can repair those circuits.

来自纽约洛克菲勒大学的研究人员使用了激光捕获显微镜，这样就可以从显微镜下才能看见的组织和细胞中分离出细胞，从而深入研究鸣禽的大脑。这些图像帮助研究人员发现鸟类大脑的信号跟人类学习走路时发出的信号在哪些方面十分相似。我们发现鸣禽有结巴的现象后，就可以总结出一种类似于帕金森的情况，正是这种情况引发了口吃。接着，我们借此研究如何修复口吃问题，并试图在类似人脑的模型中找到修复脑回路的方法。

We’re also trying to figure out ways to engineer brain circuits in a species that doesn’t have that ability, to see if we can induce it or even enhance it. And if that works we can actually try to translate that to humans as well. Jarvis says it will take years before the findings may be used to treat human speech impediments. I’ve had this hypothesis for the last ten years of how to engineer these brain circuits and predict what kind of genes, we would find that has specialized in the brain of humans and songbirds. It took us, let’s say five to seven years, so I actually identified those genes. And I think it’s gonna take us another five to seven years to actually figure out how to manipulate them.

我们也在努力探索方法，以求在不具备这种能力的物种身上实现这种脑回路，看看能否找到办法，甚至加强这种脑回路。如果能成功的话，我们也可以将成功的模式套用在人类身上。贾维斯认为，要想将发现成功用于治疗人类语言障碍上，可能需要数年之久。过去十年来，我一直秉持着这种假说，试图找到构造脑回路并预测基因类型的方法，我们发现这种脑回路确实是人类和鸣禽特有的。我们花了大概5-7年左右的时间才确定这些基因的类型。我觉得还需要5-7年的时间才能真正搞清楚怎样控制这些基因。

Songbirds could provide a window to the origins of speech disorders caused by autism strokes and Parkinson’s disease.

鸣禽可以作为借鉴，让我们弄清楚语言障碍的原因，中风和帕金森症都可以引发语言障碍。