VOA慢速英语:Scientists Find New Step in Brain Development(翻译)

Over the years, scientists and medical researchers have spent much time studying the human brain. Even after countless studies, the workings of the brain remain largely a mystery.
多年来，科学家和医学研究人员花费了大量时间研究人类的大脑。即使经过无数次的研究之后，大脑的运转在很大程度上仍然是一个谜。

New research, however, is shining light on how this complex organ develops.
然而，新研究揭示了复杂的大脑是如何发育的。

Scientists in California say they have discovered a formerly unknown period of brain development in newborn babies.
加利福尼亚的科学家表示他们在新生儿身上发现了以前未知的大脑发育期。

They say the discovery may help answer questions about the human thought process. It may also lead to a better understanding of diseases of the human nervous system.
他们称此次发现或将有助于解答一些有关人类思考过程的问题。也可能有助于更好地了解人类神经系统方面的疾病。

Scientists once thought that the wiring of most babies’ brains -- their brain’s circuitry -- develops before they are born. But new research shows that this circuitry is a work-in-progress. It continues developing for months after birth.
科学家曾认为大多数婴儿脑部的连接——大脑的神经反应线路在他们出生前就发育起来了。但是新的研究表明，这种反应线路只是一个半成品。它在婴儿出生后的几个月会继续发展。

Scientists at the University of California in San Francisco (UCSF) studied neurons that are believed to form deep in the brain. They found that these cells move to the brain’s prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is an area that influences personality development and much more.
加利福尼亚大学旧金山分校（UCSF）的科学家研究了被认为是在大脑深处形成的神经元。他们发现这些细胞移动到大脑的前额叶皮层。前额叶皮层区域不仅对人格的发展，还对很多方面产生影响。

The findings may lead to a better understanding of how the human brain grows and develops.
这些发现或将有助于更好地理解人类大脑的生长和发育的方式。

Arturo Alvarez-Buylla is a Professor of Neurological Surgery at the university. He says the discovery shows that neurons make very long trips in the brain.
阿图罗·阿尔瓦雷斯（译音）是加利福尼亚大学旧金山分校神经外科的教授。他说这次的发现表明神经元在大脑中活动的线路很长。

They migrate like some animals -- moving from the place where they are born to their final resting place. At this location, the cells become part of a complex system of wiring, which makes up our brain.
它们像动物一样移动着，从它们生成的地方移动到它们最后休息的地方。在这个区域，细胞成为复杂的大脑连接系统的一部分，这构成了我们的大脑。

The professor calls this a “fascinating phenomenon.”
教授称这是一个“有趣的现象”。

It is just a fascinating phenomenon when it happens in the embryo, and it’s happening in a much more complex brain that is bigger and much more complex...In fact that these cells can make these long, long migrations, journeys from their site where they are probably born to their ultimate locations, where they want to become integrated into circuits.
“当它发生在胚胎中，这只是一个有趣的现象，当它发生在更大、更复杂的大脑中...事实上，这些细胞可以长时间地移动，从它们大概生成的位置移动到它们最终集成回路的位置。

These circuits, or pathways, in the prefrontal cortex are thought to be linked to neurological disorders, such as autism and schizophrenia.
他们认为前额叶皮层中的这些回路或路径与神经障碍类疾病有关联，比如自闭症和精神分裂症。

The professor says the progress made by the scientific community is fascinating. But, he adds, they still have a long way to go.
教授说科学界的进步令人欣喜。但他补充道，他们还有很长的路要走。

We have learned tremendously about brain development, but it’s still a very, very small fraction of what we need to know to really understand how the brain functions and gets assembled. So it’s fascinating that we are making progress so fast, but we have a long way to go.
“虽然我们对大脑的发育已经非常了解，但对于真正了解大脑的功能和组合方式来说，这仍然只是我们需要了解的一小部分，虽然我们正在快速地进步，这令人欣喜，但是我们还有很长的路要走”。

So, as newborn babies sleep quietly in their beds, their brains are busy. They are busy making connections that will shape their reasoning, personalities and perception of the world.
所以，当新生儿安静地在床上睡觉时，其实他们的大脑很忙。他们忙于建立联系，形成他们自己的推理、个性以及对世界的看法。

I’m Anna Matteo.
安娜·马特奥为您报道。