科学家现在可以用智能手机操纵大脑

研究:科学家现在可以用智能手机操纵大脑

Mind control has never been so high-tech.

精神控制从来没有如此高科技。

Scientists have created a tiny, smartphone-controlled brain implant capable of selectively manipulating brain cell circuits — and uncovering neurological problems, such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, addiction and depression, a new study finds.

一项新的研究发现，科学家们发明了一种小型的智能手机控制的大脑植入物，能够选择性地操纵脑细胞回路，并发现神经系统问题，如帕金森氏症、老年痴呆症、成瘾和抑郁。

A team of engineers with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and neuroscientists from the University of Washington published their joint research Monday in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering.

周一，由韩国先进科学技术研究院和华盛顿大学神经科学家组成的一个工程师团队在《自然生物医学工程》杂志上发表了他们的联合研究成果。

“We are eager to use the device for complex pharmacological studies, which could help us develop new therapeutics for pain, addiction and emotional disorders,” says University of Washington professor Michael Bruchas.

华盛顿大学教授MichaelBruchas说：“我们迫切希望将该设备用于复杂的药理学研究，这将有助于我们开发出治疗疼痛、成瘾和情绪障碍的新疗法。”

Using “Lego-like replaceable drug cartridges and powerful Bluetooth” energy, the tech works by targeting specific neurons using drugs and light, Science Daily reports. The replaceable cartridges allow the same brain circuits to be studied for months.

据《科学日报》报道，这项技术利用“类似乐高的可更换药物盒和强大的蓝牙”能量，利用药物和光锁定特定的神经元。可更换的墨盒可以让相同的大脑回路被研究几个月。

The tech has only been studied in mice so far, with the implant inserted into the rodents’ brains via a hair-thin probe. Scientists then controlled the implant with their smartphone, changing drug quantities and light sequencing with the touch of a finger and manipulating the mice’s movement for over a month.

到目前为止，这项技术只在老鼠身上进行了研究，植入物通过一根细毛探针插入啮齿动物的大脑。然后，科学家们用他们的智能手机控制植入物，用手指触摸改变药物数量和光序列，并控制老鼠的运动一个多月。

Previously, the most cutting-edge neuroscience tech required bulky metal tubes and optic fibers that caused brain lesions and didn’t last as long.

以前，最尖端的神经科学技术需要笨重的金属管和光纤，它们会导致大脑损伤，而且持续时间不长。

“This revolutionary device is the fruit of advanced electronics design and powerful micro- and nanoscale engineering,” says KAIST professor Jae-Woong Jeong.

凯斯特教授JaeWoong-jeong说：“这一革命性的设备是先进电子设计和强大的微型和纳米级工程的成果。”