删除记忆 Deleting memories

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I’m Finn.
大家好，欢迎来到BBC6分钟英语。我是Finn。
And I’m Rob.
我是Rob。
Rob, I’m going to ask a personal question – do you have any bad memories?
Rob，我想问一个私人问题--你有不好的回忆吗？
Yes. When I was young I was bitten by a dog. And he bit my arm. Not nice.
有啊。当我小的时候被狗咬过。它咬了我的胳膊。不好。
Really? Do you ever wish you could delete – or remove – that memory?
真的吗？你曾经想要删除或要移除那个记忆吗？
Oh yes, absolutely. Yes. I don’t want to remember that.
是啊，当然。我不想再想起那件事。
OK. Well, today we’ll be talking about new research that has successfully deleted memories. We’ll also explain some vocabulary related to the brain. But, as always, first let’s start with a question.
OK。今天我们来讨论一项新的研究，这个研究成功地删除了记忆。我们也会学一些跟大脑有关的词汇。但像往常一样，首先我们以一个问题开头。
A good idea Finn.
好主意，Finn。
We’re talking about the role of neurons in the brain – these are the cells that transmit information. So, roughly how many neurons do scientists think we have? Is it: a) 8-10 million b) 8-10 billion c) 80-100 billion
我们来讨论下大脑神经元的作用--这些都是传递信息的细胞。科学家们认为我们的大脑大约有多少神经元？是：a）800-1000万b）80-100亿c）800-1000亿
Wow. I know we have a lot of neurons; however, a 100 billion would be a lot to get into your brain, so I’m going for the small number, 8 to 10 million.
Wow。我知道我们有非常多的神经元；然而大脑有1000亿个细胞实在太多了，所以我要选数字小一点的800-1000万。
OK, Rob. We’ll find out if you are right or wrong at the end of the programme. So, how have scientists managed to remove specific memories? Well, the research was carried out in the Netherlands at Radboud University, Nijmegen.
好的Rob。在节目的最后我们来揭晓答案。科学家们是怎么做到移除特定记忆的呢？这项研究是在荷兰的Nijmegen Radboud大学进行的。
Yes, they’ve been using something called ECT – electroconvulsive therapy – this treatment involves electric pulses through the brain.
他们使用的是ECT--电休克疗法--这种疗法包括电脉冲通过大脑。
Yes – it’s quite a controversial treatment, partly thanks to films like One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, where a terrified patient is strapped to a table and forced to receive these shocks…
是的，这是一个很有争议的治疗，部分原因是由于像飞越疯人院这样的电影,一位吓坏了的病人被绑在一张桌子，被迫接受这些冲击…
But it’s used as a last resort – a last option - for people with severe depression. Now, in this study they’ve been looking at neurons – and memories are actually stored in the connections between these neurons, according to Dr Martin Kroes on the team.
但它是作为最后一招——最后一个选项——患有严重抑郁症的人。在这项研究中他们一直在研究神经元--记忆就储存在这些神经元间，根据Martin Kroes的团队。
He says these connections take some time to become permanent, and "if you disturb this process, you lose the connection between the brain cells altogether".
他说要成为永久性的这些链接需要一些时间，“如果打断这个过程，你就会丢失大脑细胞间的联系”
So, if you lose the connection – you lose the memory. That was the idea. Could they make it work in an experiment? Listen to BBC reporter Anna Holligan talking about what happened to the patients.
因此，如果失去了联系，你就丢失了记忆。就是这个研究。那在试验中能成功吗？ 让我们来听一下BBC记者Anna Holligan做的报道，在这些病人身上发生了什么。
Participants were patients already being treated with ECT. They were shown two sets of picture cards each telling a story. Then just before an ECT session they were shown one of the stories again to reactivate that particular memory. The results were remarkable, after the ECT they forgot the story they just looked at, while the memory of the other story was unaffected.
这些参加者们都是已经经过ECT治疗的病人。给他们展示了聊天图片，每一套讲述一个故事。在开始ECT阶段前，他们再一次看到其中一组故事以重新激活该特定的记忆。结果很显著：经过ECT治疗后他们都忘了之前刚看的故事，而另外一个故事却并未受到影响。
So – patients were shown two sets of cards. Then, just before ECT, they were shown one of the sets again to reactivate it – to make it active again.
所以--病人们看了两套卡片。然后在ECT治疗前，他们又一次看了其中的一组卡片以此激活记忆。
They then had ECT – and when they woke up,they forgot the memory of the card they had just looked at – the one that had just been reactivated.
然后他们接受了ECT治疗--当他们醒来时，他们忘记了之前看到的那组卡片--就是之前刚被重新激活的。
Yes. Now, we should mention that one of the side-effects of ECT is memory loss – so why is this surprising? It’s because they were able to target specific memories.
是的。现在我们应当提一下，ECT的副作用之一就是会导致记忆丧失--但为什么会让人吃惊呢？因为他们可以特定消除记忆。
OK. Well, it’s thought that this new technique could help people with PTSD – post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s a memory-related illness where people who experience something very stressful and upsetting, something traumatic, such as war, continue to be affected by it psychologically.
OK。它被认为这项新技术可以帮助有PTSD（创伤后应激障碍）的人们。这是一个跟记忆有关的病当人们处于压力大或紧张的情况时。一些创伤，如战争，可以从心理上持续受到影响。
Yes, the hope is that these traumatic memories could be deleted.
是的，希望是这些有心理创伤的记忆可以定向删除。
Which would be an exciting development. Now, before we forget, let’s remind everyone of today’s question.
这真的是一项令人兴奋的发现。现在，在我们失忆前，让我们回忆下今天的问题。
Yes, very good. Well, it was about the number of neurons in the human brain. Now, are there: 8-10 million 8-10 billion 80-100 billion
是的，很好。是关于人类大脑神经元数量的问题。是：800-1000万80-100亿800-1000亿
And I thought it was just a mere 8 to 10 million.
我认为仅仅是800-1000万
Well there are, supposedly, 80 to 100 billion of these things in our brains. Not all scientists agree on the exact number. But still it’s about as many as there are stars in the whole Universe.
好吧，我们的大脑大概有800-1000亿个神经元、并不是所有的科学家都认可准确的数字。但它可以和整个宇宙的星体差不多一样多。
It would take forever to count those!
永远都数不清！
I don’t know who’s counting – one by one! Now, Rob, can you remind everyone about today’s vocabulary?
我不知道谁在一个又一个的数！现在，Rob，您能给大家回忆下今天的词汇吗？
I think that memory has been removed!
我想我的记忆都没有了！
Oh, it’s been deleted? OK!
都被删除了吗？好吧！
Only joking.
笑话而已啦。
You have it?
你想起来了。
Yes, I have it now, it’s come back to me! We heard: delete ;neurons;pulses Controversial;a last resort;depression Reactivate;PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder);traumatic
是的，我想起来了，它回到我身边了！我们听到的有：delete--删除 ;neurons--神经元;pulses --脉冲Controversial--有争议的;a last resort--最后一招;depression --抑郁Reactivate--重新激活;PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)--创伤后应激障碍;traumatic--创伤性
Thank you very much Rob. And that’s it for this week’s 6 Minute English. We hope you’ve enjoyed today’s programme. Please join us again soon.
非常感谢。这就是这周BBC6分钟的全部内容了。希望大家喜欢今天的节目。请继续加入我们。
Bye.
拜~
Bye.
拜~