![]() Scientists think it will be possible to record people's dreams and then interpret them, according to a new report. |
Scientists think it will be possible to record people's dreams and then interpret them, according to a new report. They claim to have developed a system which allows them to record higher level brain activity. Dr Moran Cerf told the journal Nature: "We would like to read people's dreams." Previously the only way to access people's dreams is for psychologists to ask about them after the event and try to interpret them. Dr Cerf hopes to eventually compare people's memories of their dreams with an electronic visualisation of their brain activity. He told the BBC: "There's no clear answer as to why humans dream. And one of the questions we would like to answer is when do we actually create this dream?" The scientist believes his latest research shows that certain neurons or individual brain cells are linked with specific objects or concepts. He found that a particular neuron lit up when a volunteer thought about Marilyn Monroe. If a database was built up identifying various neurons with concepts, objects and people it would allow them to "read the subject's minds", according to Dr Cerf. However, Dr Roderick Oner, a clinical psychologist and dream expert, said that this kind of visualisation would be of limited help when it came to interpreting the "complex dream narrative". In addition to get a detailed picture of individual neurons subjects had to have electrodes implanted deep in the brain using surgery. The Nature researchers used data from patients who had electrodes implanted to monitor and treat them for brain seizures. However, Dr Cerf said he hoped that it would be possible at a later stage to monitor people without invasive surgery. He said it would be "wonderful" to be able to read the minds of coma patients who are unable to communicate. (Read by Nelly Min. Nelly Min is a journalist at the China Daily Web site.) (Agencies) |
根據(jù)一項(xiàng)新報(bào)告,科學(xué)家們認(rèn)為未來(lái)將有可能記錄下人類(lèi)的夢(mèng)境并加以解釋。 他們稱(chēng)已經(jīng)發(fā)明了一套可以記錄大腦高級(jí)活動(dòng)的系統(tǒng)。 莫蘭?塞爾夫博士告訴《自然》雜志說(shuō):“我們希望能解讀人們的夢(mèng)境?!?/p> 在此之前,了解人類(lèi)夢(mèng)境的唯一途徑,就是在人們做夢(mèng)之后心理學(xué)家向他們?cè)儐?wèn),然后試圖對(duì)夢(mèng)加以解釋。 塞爾夫博士希望最終可以實(shí)現(xiàn)將人們對(duì)夢(mèng)境的記憶同他們大腦活動(dòng)的電子影像進(jìn)行對(duì)照。 他告訴英國(guó)廣播公司說(shuō):“關(guān)于人們?yōu)槭裁磿?huì)做夢(mèng),至今尚沒(méi)有明確答案。我們希望能回答的一個(gè)問(wèn)題是,我們實(shí)際上是在什么時(shí)候做這個(gè)夢(mèng)的?” 這位科學(xué)家認(rèn)為,他的最新研究表明,大腦的某些神經(jīng)元或個(gè)別腦細(xì)胞同特定的物體或概念相關(guān)。 他發(fā)現(xiàn),當(dāng)一位志愿者想到瑪麗蓮?夢(mèng)露的時(shí)候,某個(gè)特定的神經(jīng)元就開(kāi)始興奮起來(lái)。 按照塞爾夫博士的說(shuō)法,如果建立一個(gè)數(shù)據(jù)庫(kù),識(shí)別出各種神經(jīng)元與不同的概念、物體和人之間的關(guān)系,將可以使他們“解讀受試者的思維”。 然而,臨床心理醫(yī)生兼夢(mèng)境專(zhuān)家羅德里希?奧內(nèi)爾博士認(rèn)為,這種影像對(duì)于解讀“復(fù)雜的夢(mèng)境故事”幫助不大。 除了要獲取個(gè)體神經(jīng)元的詳細(xì)影像之外,還需通過(guò)手術(shù)在受試者的腦部深處植入電極。 《自然》雜志的研究人員所使用的數(shù)據(jù)來(lái)自一些癲癇病人,這些病人的大腦中被植入了電極,用于監(jiān)測(cè)和治療其癲癇病。 不過(guò),塞爾夫博士表示,他希望在隨后的階段中可以做到不用開(kāi)刀手術(shù)就能監(jiān)測(cè)人的大腦活動(dòng)。 他說(shuō),若是能解讀那些陷入昏迷狀態(tài)、無(wú)法溝通的病人的思維,將是“很棒”的事情。 相關(guān)閱讀 (中國(guó)日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)英語(yǔ)點(diǎn)津 實(shí)習(xí)生強(qiáng)鳳華 編輯:陳丹妮) |
Vocabulary: electrode: either of two points (or terminals) by which an electric current enters or leaves a battery or other electrical device(電極) invasive: (of medical treatment) involving cutting into the body(醫(yī)療)切入的;開(kāi)刀的 |