It's a pleasure to be here.

我很榮幸能夠來到這裡

Today my subject is "Enhancing Brain Plasticity."

今天的主題是 " 強化大腦的可塑性"

And what I'm going to do in the next few minutes hopefully is

接下來幾分鐘, 我希望能夠告訴你們

to tell you a little bit about what brain plasticity is, how it works,

何謂大腦的可塑性、它如何運作

what we're doing to try to enhance it,

以及我們目前正採取什麼方法來試著強化大腦

and what you can do to enhance the plasticity of your brain.

並且透過練習來強化大腦的可塑性

So at end of these 18 minutes,

所以,在18分鐘的演講後

I hope that all of that will transpire.

我希望你們都能夠驗證我所說的

So, what is brain plasticity?

所以,何謂大腦的可塑性？

Well, brain plasticity is the process by which your brain changes

大腦的可塑性是大腦改變的過程，

depending on what has happened to it.

而這個改變取決於發生的事物。

And brain plasticity would include, for instance, memory.

舉例來說,大腦的可塑性會包括記憶

If you remember this lecture tomorrow - and I hope you will -

如果你明天還記得這場演講-----我希望你還有印象

it's because of brain plasticity.

那是因為大腦的可塑性關係。

But brain plasticity is more than memory.

但,大腦的可塑性比記憶還有更多功能

It's the process by which your brain is involved in learning,

它是一種刺激大腦知識學習的過程，

say a new skill, learning to ski or play Sudoku; do things like that.

學習技術,學習滑雪,或者玩數獨 等以上的事情

It's the process by which you recover from brain damage of various sorts,

它亦是一種幫助恢復大腦損害的過程

for instance, after a neurotrauma or a stroke.

例如:神經損害或者中風

and it's also how you adapt to the fact

還有 大腦的可塑性也包含了

that you now weight 20 pounds more after Christmas,

如何適應你在聖誕節假期後增加了超過20磅

and all your biomechanics are different, yet you still have to walk gracefully.

你的生物機制有別於以往,但,你仍然需要自在地走路

So all of that is brain plasticity.

所以,這都是大腦的可塑性。

Now, most of what you need to learn about brain plasticity in this talk

現在,你們需要學習大腦的可塑性並且在這場演講中

can be summarized in the following slogan

概括以下的標語

- OK? So after this, you can just go to sleep -

OK? 那在這之後,你就可以去睡覺了

slogan is "Neurons that fire together wire together."

標語是:神經元細胞會彼此互相激發並且連接

Contiguity breeds connectivity.

因此一連串的事物帶來彼此連結

And this is a lesson that has been learn in the last 20 or 30 years of neuroscience research.

這是在過去二十或三十年前神經研究中, 我們所需要研究的地方

I'm going to tell you a little bit about just how that actually works.

我會告訴你,事實上大腦如何運作

So let's focus at the beginning on one part of neuroplasticity,

所以,一開始我會著重於神經可塑性的部分

the plasticity that we think of as memory.

而可塑性,我們都會想到記憶

So what's a memory anyway? What is a memory?

那除了記憶以外呢? 甚麼是記憶呢?

Well, I submit to you that a memory is nothing more than your ability to relconstruct the whole from a degraded fragment.

嗯...我個人認為記憶只是自行重組消失的片段而已

Nothing more than that. So what do I mean by that?

僅僅如此。那這又意味著什麼呢?

Let's talk about a specific memory.

我們來談談一段具體的記憶好了

How about the memory of, I don't know, your grandmother?

你的記憶會如何,,我不確定,,,,你的奶奶嗎?

You see all these points of light behind you.

你可以看到身後有許多亮點

Imagine that they're all points of activity inside your brain.

想像一下他們已經在大腦裡面運作

If you look at this part of the brain here in the back, the visual cortex...

你可以看看腦袋後方,有個視覺皮質層

Imagine that this is what your grandmother looked like,

想像一下這是你奶奶的模樣

the activity that your grandmother evokes in your visual cortex,

這樣的行為會喚起你對奶奶的印象出現在視覺皮質層

during your interaction with her.

並且想起與奶奶之間的互動

Here's the auditory cortex, and this is the sound of her voice,

這裡是聽覺皮質層,主要是會聽到奶奶的聲音

or the things, the wise things she said to you.

或關於奶奶的事情,甚至是她對你說過的智慧箴言

You know, this is the parietal cortex, the somatosensory cortex,

就你所知,這裡是頂葉皮質層是軀體感覺皮質層

this is the touch of her skin, the texture of her clothes.

能夠感覺到她的皮膚,甚至她衣服的質料

Up here in the smell cortex is the smell of her perfume, things like these.

而上面的小皮質區能聞她的味道,就像這樣

All of these points of light represent activity that occurs in your brain

這些小光點都代表了

while you're interacting with your grandmother.

你與奶奶互動時,腦部的活絡

And now remember the slogan: "Neurons that fire together wire together."

你現在還記得那標語:神經元細胞會彼此互相激發與連接

So as you interact with your grandmother over the years,

所以這些年來, 妳跟互動時

the sound of her voice, the texture of her clothes,

都能感受到她的聲音,她衣服的質料

what she looks like, the smell of her perfume,

甚至她的模樣,聞到她身上的香味

the taste of her cookies, all those things associate.

她做的餅乾口感,所有的事情彼此互相連結著

They come together, they're active at the same time,

所有的事物都在同時間一起運作著

and neurons that fire together wire together.

並且神經元會彼此互相激發甚至產生連結

Many of you have probably not seen your grandmother for a very long time.

對很多人來說,可能沒有和奶奶相處很長的時間

She may be dead. So what happens?

她可能過世了,那麼發生甚麼事情呢?

You're walking, I don't know, along Robson Street,

當你走在.....可能是洛遜街道上

and you walk past the store, and you smell the perfume.

你走到商店,你聞到香水味

Out of that store comes the perfume.

離開商店後 香水味仍然還存在

And what happens? Your grandmother is right there.

發生什麼事情?你的奶奶彷彿就在那裡

All of her is right there: the sound of her voice,

她的身影就出現在那裡,無論是聲音

what she looks like, the texture of her clothes,

模樣,甚至她所穿的衣服

all the other attributes of your grandmother

所以有關奶奶的事物

can be evoked just by stimulating one part of it.

全部浮現並且刺激腦部的某一部分

And that's because neurons that have been firing together for years

那是因為神經元長久一來接受了激發

have now wired together.

然後現在彼此間互相發生連結

You can enter the circuit at any point.

你會因為各種原因啟動循環

A piece of music that your grandmother liked

像是你的奶奶喜歡的音樂

is enough to activate that circuit as well.

就足以啟動連結

A picture of her is enough to activate it.

一張奶奶的照片也能夠啟動它

And that's what we think is a key part of the memory process,

這就是我們所認為刺激記憶過程的主要關鍵

and that's why neurons firing together are so important.

那正是為什麼神經元的活化是如此的重要

In neuroscience now we can actually make neurons...

現在神經科學中,我們能夠製造神經元

Here we have two neurons,

這張圖片中有兩個神經元細胞

and these neurons are in a mouse brain, but what we've done is

這些神經元來自老鼠的大腦,但我們要做的是

we've taken two neurons, and we've stuck into them a gene that we borrowed from jellyfish.

將水母的基因鑲嵌在兩個神經元細胞上

It's the gene that makes jellyfish glow green at night,

而這個基因能讓水母在晚上發出螢光

and we've stuck it into these two neurons, and now they too are glowing green,

我們將這個基因鑲嵌神經元細胞,現在他們也會發出綠色

and you can see two neurons connected to each other.

你也可看到兩個神經元細胞彼此互相連結

The soma is the cell body, the axon is the sending end of the neuron,

母體細胞又稱為細胞體,軸突會發出訊息到神經元末端

the dendrite is the receiving end of the neuron.

樹突是接收神經元末端的訊息

And what we can do is we can take these two neurons,

我們要做的是將兩個神經元細胞

and force them to associate.

迫使彼此互相連結

We can take the neuron on the left and tickle it with an electrical stimulus,

我們將神經元細胞放在左側,並且利用電刺激它

zap! zap! zap!, we make it fire.

滋滋茲...我們讓神經元細胞激發活化

And if we make it fire hard enough, we can get through the axon,

如果想要更大的激發活化,就利用軸突去活化下一個神經元細胞

we can activate the next neuron, the neuron on the right.

將神經元細胞置於右側

Neurons that fire together wire together.

神經元細胞就會彼此互相激發活化

So we go prrp! prrp! prrp! and after a time, what we find is if we make those two neurons associate

撲嚕撲嚕撲嚕,我們使得兩個神經元細胞開始互相連結了

the connection between them will get stronger,

而且這個連結會讓神經元彼此間更加的緊密

and we're understanding the mechanisms by which that works.

我們都理解這個機制如何運作

Now the way in which the two neurons connect to each other is right over here

現在可以看到兩個神經元細胞彼此互相的連結

at a place called the synapse.

而連接點就稱為"突觸"

Over the last decades, neuroscience has really understood the synapse in ways that were just not possible before.

過去十年裡,神經科學上認為以"突觸"這種方式是不可行的

So the next slide gives you an illustration

所以,下一張投影片中,將給你實例說明

of what the synapse looks like.

突觸如何作用

Those little blue dots on the top are the transmitters released by the axon,

在上方的藍色小點是軸突釋放出來的傳訊器

and then they activate all of these receptors,

傳訊器會啟動接收器

and all of that machinery in the next neuron,

並且將這樣的機制轉移到下一個神經元上

and ultimately that causes the neuron to fire.

最終,使得神經元活化

But you know there is much more to it,

但是不僅只如此，

It's these receptors that are actually very important.

這些接收器實際上是更加的重要

You see this receptor? It's called an AMP receptor.

有看到這個接收器嗎?它叫做AMP接收器

It's kind of boring. If you put more in, more comes out.

它其實了無新意,你放入越多AMP,就會有更多AMP被釋放

In other words, if you give it a weak stimulus, it gives a weak response,

換言句話說,如果你給予微弱的刺激,就得到微弱的反應

if you give it a stronger stimulus, it gives you a stronger response,

如果給予強烈的刺激,就會得到強烈的反應

if you give it a really strong stimulus, it gives you a really strong response called linear.

如果你給予極大的刺激,就會得到極大的反應

Look at this kind, the NR receptor, also called the NMDA receptor.

看看這裡,它稱為NR接收器,又稱為NMDA接收器

It's very interesting. Very undemocratic receptor.

它非常地有趣,它是一個不民主的接收器

It hates weak inputs: you give it a weak input

它討厭微弱的輸入訊號,如果是微弱的輸入

not only does it not respond, but it actually goes negative.

它不只沒有反應,甚至會產生反效果

You give it a slightly stronger input; still not very interesting.

若給予稍強的刺激,它不會有什麼反應

You give a strong input; it goes crazy.

給予強烈的刺激,便會得到強烈的反應

And when it goes crazy, what it does is it activates all this machinery down here,

當有強烈反應時,所有以下的機制都會啟動

and the effect of all that machinery is

並且影響所有的機制

to put in more of these ordinary boring receptors.

尤其是釋放的AMP接收器

What that means is if you can tickle the fancy of this NMDA receptor,

這意味著,如果你觸動NMDA接收器

you'll put in more of these ordinary AMPA receptors into the synapse,

更多的AMPA接收器會傳到突觸上

and then the synapse will become stronger.

而突觸就會變得很強大

And that actually seems to be the core mechanism of memory,

這就是所謂的記憶的核心機制

of strengthening connections between two neurons,

刺激強化兩個神經元細胞彼此之間的連結

of how strong inputs and contiguity can result in a stronger synapse.

越強烈的輸入訊號及連結事物會形成更強大的突觸

And that's actually how we think you remember today's lecture.

這也是你會記得這場演講的理由

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

"So OK Max. That's all been great biochemistry.

『好，我學到了這些很棒的生物化學機制

I'm all excited. Fine. Good. Well, what have you done for me lately?

我也覺得很興奮且棒透了,那你們現在要做什麼呢?

How's my memory going to improve from all this?"

但是這個機制將如何提升我的記憶?

I can tell you that scientists are working very hard.

我要說的是,科學家努力地研究

All of this understanding is leading to new strategies and therapies.

理解這些機制來達到新的策略和治療方式

If you actually look here, it turns out that if you block this,

你看這裡,結果證實如果阻斷這裡

this is very important in getting this whole process to happen.

它是非常重要的部分,會促成整個過程啟動

We're working on drugs that will tickle this pathway

我們努力研究藥物來啟動這條通道

to give you a better memory.

因此可以增加更好的記憶力

But we're not there yet.

但至今我們仍然還在努力當中

It turns out that there's a crucial structure in your brain

結果證實,大腦內有一個非常重要的結構

that seems to be actually very important for your memory.

並且著實地會增加你的記憶力

It's called the hippocampus.

稱為海馬迴的構造

So they're all these points of light on the outside of your cortex.

它們主要在大腦皮質層外側的亮點

They all funneled down to the hippocampus

它會通過狹窄處到海馬迴結構

which again represents the memory trace

形成所謂的記憶的路徑

in a compressed and higher form.

並且處於高度擠壓的模式

We can now record the activity of hundreds of points in the hippocampus,

我們發現有數百個亮點在海馬迴中運作

hundreds of cells, as animals, for instance, run through a maze.

數百個神經細胞，像是跑過迷宮的動物們

What we can do now is we an understand the functions of the hippocampus so well

我們現在清楚知道關於海馬迴的功能

that we can actually, without knowing where the animal is, we can say:

我們不用知道動物切確在何處，便可以說

"These are the cells that are active now - the animals of the first choice point -

『這些細胞有活動力。』 並知道他們在第一個選擇點、

Now is at the second choice point. Now is at the third choice point."

現在在第二個、或第三個選擇點。

And we can hear all this simply by recording the activity of all these neurons inside the hippocampus.

我都可以清楚聽到並且記錄下所有神經元細胞在海馬迴內的活動

I want to tell you about an experiment that was done at MIT about ten years ago by Matt Wilson.

我來分享一個十年前 Matt Wilson 在麻繩理工學院(MIT)所做的實驗

He was studying the hippocampus

他致力研究海馬迴

as the rat was learning the maze,

利用老鼠來學習迷宮的行為

he was going through the first choice, blah, blah, blah.

老鼠會做出第一個選擇,等等

The experiment ends. He closes up the apparatus,

實驗最終,他切斷設備的電源

the animal sitting in the vestibule of the maze now, not in the maze,

讓老鼠坐在迷宮的走廊,而不是待在迷宮內

and he starts to write up his lab notes.

並且他開始寫下實驗的筆記

He's still listening to all these neurons.

他仍然繼續聆聽其他的神經元細胞

What he finds is while he's writing up the notes, he hears the neurons, you can hear them on loudspeaker.

他做筆記時，透過喇叭聽到神經元的聲音

The animals running through the maze.

接著老鼠開始開始跑向迷宮

How could that be?

怎麼會這樣呢?

Well, it turns out he goes over,

這結果顯示他重新溫習了迷宮路線

he looks at the animal, the animal is asleep,

他在仔細看著老鼠,老鼠是睡著的狀態

but the hippocampus is still running through the maze

但是海馬迴瀏覽了迷宮路徑

while the animal is asleep.

而動物仍處於睡著的狀態

And there is now overwhelming evidence that what actually happens at night,

而有大量的證據顯示,夜晚確實會發生這種現象

every night, after you learned stuff during the day is

每天晚上,學習了一整天

that during sleep you replay and rebroadcast the memories of the day

你睡覺時便會開始不斷重複你一整天的記憶

back out from your hippocampus to the rest of your cerebral cortex,

並從海馬迴釋放出來到其他的大腦皮質層

rehearsing those memories again,

不斷演練這些記憶

strengthening the association among all those points of light.

並且強化大腦中亮點間的連結

So what's my advice if you want to to improve plasticity?

因此我建議,如果你想提升大腦的可塑性?

Get a good night's sleep. It's very important.

就好好睡一覺吧,這非常的重要

Here's another thing you can do if you want to improve your memory capabilities and your brain plasticity,

另外還有一個方式能提升記憶容量以及大腦的可塑性

and that is do physical exercise.

那就是需要做體格訓練

Do physical exercise.It used to be thought that we already had all the brain cells

體格的訓練...過去，我們認為我們所擁有的大腦細胞

we're ever going to have; that's not true.

不會增加，但事實卻不是這樣

We're actually making thousands of new brain cells every day,

我們每天會製造數以千計的大腦細胞

and you can double or triple the number of brain cells

但是這個大腦細胞會增加兩倍到三倍

that you make next week by doing physical exercise.

只要你在下禮拜開始進行體格訓練

Here's an experiment which we did, again, in rats,

再一次地,我們在老鼠身上做實驗

where we can paint the new baby brain cells red,

我們將新的腦細胞塗成紅色

the ordinary cells are green.

一般的腦細胞塗成綠色

We take animals, we put them in an enriched environment,

我們將一邊的老鼠放置在物質豐富的環境下

We have other animals in an impoverished environment,

而另一邊的老鼠則放置在物質匱乏的環境下

we find the enriched environment animals make more cells,

我們發現物質豐富環境下的老鼠,可以產生更多的大腦細胞

and we fractionate the environment;

我們又依據環境區分好幾個部分;

we consider social cues, cognitive stimulation,physical stimulation.

我們納入社會依存,認知刺激、生理刺激等因素

What's important?Physical exercise.

甚麼是最重要的呢? 那就是"體格訓練"

More important than having friends, more important than playing Sudoku,

相較於擁有許多朋友、玩數獨、

more important than all that stuff; do physical exercise.

或者其他所有的事物等等。進行"體格訓練"是最重要的

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

So what we're trying to do is to understand what actually happens in the brain when you do exercise.

所以我們試著去了解到當你在做運動的時候,大腦內會發生甚麼事情呢?

And we're understanding there're growth factors that go on,

我們知道生長激素會不斷地運作

parts of these NR2B receptors are turned up,

而且NR2B接受器會慢慢的上升

and the entire plasticity machinery is turned on

因此,整個大腦的可塑性機制就啟動了

along with these new baby cells.

並且伴隨著新的大腦細胞

We have a very good target now,

我們現在有明確的目標

and we're actually working to develop a drug

也就是也致力於開發藥物

that will enhance your neurogenesins, your ability to produce new brain cells.

來加強神經細胞的形成,使得它能自行生長產生出新的大腦細胞

And, by the way, this happens most in hippocampus I told you about.

順帶一提，神經生長大多發生於前面提到的在海馬迴中

And we're working very hard to basically develop that drugs

我們竭盡所能地開發藥物

so you won't have to do all that messy exercise,

讓你能夠不用大費周章地運動

or hopefully, it will be synergistic with exercise.

同時也希望,藥物能夠與運動相互的搭配

So you can make three times as many more brain cells with physical exercise