时间:2019-02-04 作者:英语课 分类:VOA常速英语2008年(二月)


英语课
By Alex Villarreal
Washington, DC
01 February 2008
 

Medical researchers in Canada say a brain stimulation 1 procedure used to treat people with Parkinson's and other diseases could help restore the memory of dementia patients. The researchers stumbled upon the discovery when the technique unexpectedly brought back detailed 2 memories in one patient. VOA's Alex Villarreal has more.


Surgeons at Toronto Western Hospital had hoped that delivering electrical signals to a brain area called the hypothalamus would regulate the appetite of a 50-year-old morbidly 3 obese 4 man.


The technique, called deep brain stimulation, uses a surgically-implanted device to shoot an electrical pulse into targeted areas of the brain while the patient remains 5 conscious.


 


Dr. Ali Rezai, of the Cleveland Clinic, explains, "The language of the brain is electricity. By applying electrical currents we can actually shut down different parts of the brain or activate 6 different parts of the brain."


But in the middle of the operation, something surprising happened. The patient suddenly experienced a flood of detailed memories from an incident decades before.


"He reported he was in a park, that he was with his friends, he recognized the people and he recognized what they were saying. As we increased the intensity 7 of the stimulation, more of the details filled in," says Dr. Andres Lozano.


Later tests revealed the patient's memory improved while his brain was being stimulated 8. And after three weeks of constant stimulation, he performed significantly higher on learning tests.


"This is the first time that this area of the brain has been implanted in that an effect on memory has been witnessed," Dr. Lozano said.


Deep brain stimulation is most commonly used to treat movement disorders 9, such as Parkinson's disease, helping 10 patients with severe tremors 11. It also can help victims of chronic 12 pain and depression.


With this new discovery, researchers are now testing the procedure as a way to restore memories in patients with Alzheimer's.




n.刺激,激励,鼓舞
  • The playgroup provides plenty of stimulation for the children.幼儿游戏组给孩子很多启发。
  • You don't get any intellectual stimulation in this job.你不能从这份工作中获得任何智力启发。
adj.详细的,详尽的,极注意细节的,完全的
  • He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
  • A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。
adv.病态地
  • As a result, the mice became morbidly obese and diabetic. 结果,老鼠呈现为病态肥胖和糖尿病。 来自互联网
  • He was morbidly fascinated by dead bodies. 他对尸体着魔到近乎病态的程度。 来自互联网
adj.过度肥胖的,肥大的
  • The old man is really obese,it can't be healthy.那位老人确实过于肥胖了,不能算是健康。
  • Being obese and lazy is dangerous to health.又胖又懒危害健康。
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
vt.使活动起来,使开始起作用
  • We must activate the youth to study.我们要激励青年去学习。
  • These push buttons can activate the elevator.这些按钮能启动电梯。
n.强烈,剧烈;强度;烈度
  • I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
  • The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。
a.刺激的
  • The exhibition has stimulated interest in her work. 展览增进了人们对她作品的兴趣。
  • The award has stimulated her into working still harder. 奖金促使她更加努力地工作。
n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 );凌乱;骚乱;(身心、机能)失调
  • Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告,厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
震颤( tremor的名词复数 ); 战栗; 震颤声; 大地的轻微震动
  • The story was so terrible that It'sent tremors down my spine. 这故事太可怕,它使我不寒而栗。
  • The story was so terrible that it sent tremors down my spine. 这故事太可怕,它使我不寒而栗。
adj.(疾病)长期未愈的,慢性的;极坏的
  • Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
  • Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。
学英语单词
-form
appointer
ascertainable limit
attention process
baby legs
bacterial arthritis
Ban Tha Mun Ram
Bedford Center
Bernard House
Bhītargaon
black acid
black-billed magpie
Blarina brevicauda
Californianization
card stock
cash-deposiit ratio
cater to the need of
cavallies
completely specified automata
complex-differentiable
couchy
coupled computer
cylindrical valve
decreasing progression
department of pediatrics
dinner-bell
dishwasher proof
dual-coding theory
earthquake geochemistry
EBITA
electrosmelting of steel
enslaves
focusing mark
forefeel
frpi
Gada
gastropathies
getting your feet wet
gilt-edged stock
Grimmi
group calls
helium tube (helium valve)
heteroglots
hit sb up
independent brake valve
industriousness
inspection of chamber
international union of maritime insurance
isolated soy protein
jet impact
Kaniko
key segment
lechayi m
little fighter
longitudinal focusing
mallam
marillion
megamosque
microbe
misname
mozers
nephrogenic diabetes insipiduss
normal slide valve
Nozawaonsen
odenyphobia
oxifedrini chloridum
parachute kids
peak short-circuit current
period-end/year-end inventory stock status
perpendicularness
phenological simulation
photo-shoots
pilosities
platform breaching
profit-maximizings
pulsed inflector
purre-maw
rehomogenizes
rescue control center
ricocheted bullet wound
romanized
Rosa lichiangensis
self-actuation
semiproduction
sending item
serse
shehnai
skin grafts
spheric shock
Star Chamber
subhyoid pharyngotomy
suffite
Sulfatar
supercavity
syntectonic
system analysis group
terreus
turbulence accident
uk task force
urico-oxidase
votator apparatus
zitox