VOA慢速英语:Brain Imaging Comes to Children in Poor Countries

Brain imaging was once thought to be too costly and difficult for widespread use in the developing world. But the technology soon may be available in poor countries. Brain imaging creates pictures of brain activity. It uses infrared light -- similar to the light produced by a television remote control. Brain imaging can identify the first signs of cognitive delays, mental problems, in newborns and young children. Such children could be suffering from malnutrition – a poor diet.
脑成像技术曾被认为成本太高昂，在发展中国家的广泛应用难以实现。但是这项技术很快可以在贫穷国家得到应用。脑成像会生成脑部活动的图片。它采用红外光，类似于电视机遥控器产生的光线。脑成像可以鉴别新生儿和婴幼儿认知延迟和精神问题的最初迹象。这样的孩子可能营养不良。

The technology has a long name -- functional near-infrared spectroscopy, or f-N-I-R-S. It involves placing an extremely small, soft helmet around a baby's head. Infrared light is sent through the bone protecting the brain. It helps to show whether babies are developing normally for their age.
该技术有一个很长的名字，功能性近红外光谱仪，简称FNIRS。环绕婴儿头部放置一个非常小的柔软的头盔，发射出红外光，穿过保护大脑的头骨，帮助显示婴儿的发育水平是否与年龄相符。

f-N-I-R-S is considered safer than other imaging methods, including MRI or PET scan. And it also can be easily moved. The brain scanner equipment can be loaded into a vehicle. Health workers can drive it from village to village.
近红外光谱仪被认为比其它包括核磁共振成像或PET扫描在内的成像方法更为安全，并且它可以方便地移动。这种脑部扫描设备可以装入车辆，卫生工作者可以开车带着它走村串巷。
Clare Elwell is a professor of medical physics at University College London. She helped develop the relatively low-cost, non-invasive imaging technology. She says the device measures oxygen in the blood to learn how babies' brains are developing.
Clare Elwell是伦敦大学学院的一位医用物理学教授。她帮助开发了这种相对成本较低，非侵入性的成像技术。她说，该设备通过测量血液中氧气的水平来了解婴儿的大脑发育状况。

"And as you use different areas of your brain, you direct oxygen to those different brain areas. And so if we look at the change in the distribution of the oxygen in your brain, we can work out how active your brain is and what your brain is actually processing."
“当使用大脑的不同区域时，氧气就会供应到这些不同的脑区。所以如果我们查看大脑中氧气分布的变化，就能获知大脑有多活跃以及脑部实际在处理什么。”

Clare Elwell led a study of the testing method in rural Gambia. The babies involved were between four and eight months old. They were examined three times over 15 months. Researchers noted the babies' reactions to different images and sounds.
Clare Elwell在冈比亚农村地区领导了一项研究，对该方法进行测试。试验对象包括4个月至8个月的婴儿。他们在15个月时间内接受了三次检查。研究人员着重指出了婴儿对不同图像和声音的反应。

"So if we present the babies with visual or auditory stimuli, then we expect certain brain areas to light up, essentially. We expect the oxygen to be diverted to certain brain regions."
“如果我们对婴儿进行视觉或听觉刺激，那么我们估计氧气会被转移到大脑的特定区域，这些特定区域会被激活。”

She says that shows if those brain areas are fully developed or mature. And, she says, it shows if they are performing normally.
她说这能显示出这些脑区发育是否完全或成熟。她还表示，研究结果还能显示出大脑功能是否正常。

The babies looked at pictures of objects and people. Human speech and non-human sounds such as running water and bells tested the babies' hearing. And their brain recognition was compared to those of British children.
这些婴儿们看着物体或人的图像。人类语言或流水、钟声等非人类声音检测着婴儿们的听力。他们的大脑认知被同英国的孩子进行对比。

Clare Elwell says poor nutrition and childhood diseases threaten the African children. She says the goal is to identify babies needing to be better fed or treated for health problems that can harm brain development.
Clare Elwell表示，营养不良和儿童疾病威胁着非洲儿童。她表示，我们的目标是识别出哪些儿童需要更好的喂养，或哪些儿童需要治疗可能损伤大脑发育的健康问题。