評論
打印
I grew up to study the brain because I have a brother who has been diagnosed with a brain disorder, schizophrenia.
我之所以選擇學習腦科，是因為我的一個弟弟被診斷大腦功能紊亂，用專業點的說法就是精神分裂癥。
And as a sister and later, as a scientist, I wanted to understand, why is it that I can take my dreams,
作為姐姐，到后來是作為科學家，我十分想了解為什么我們會做夢，
I can connect them to my reality, and I can make my dreams come true?
而且能夠將做的夢和現實聯系起來，更有可能會夢想成真。
What is it about my brother's brain and his schizophrenia that he cannot connect his dreams to a common and shared reality, so they instead become delusion?
我弟弟的大腦到底是怎么了？他得的精神分裂癥就是他不能將他做的夢和普通的現實結合起來，所以相反的，就形成了幻覺。
So I dedicated my career to research into the severe mental illnesses.
因此我致力于研究這些嚴重的精神疾病。
And I moved from my home state of Indiana to Boston, where I was working in the lab of Dr. Francine Benes, in the Harvard Department of Psychiatry.
而且我也從印第安納州搬到波士頓，在那里，我可以在哈佛精神病學，
And in the lab, we were asking the question, "What are the biological differences between the brains of individuals who would be diagnosed as normal control,
在實驗過程中，我們會一直詢問：“從生物學的角度來說，
as compared with the brains of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizoaffective or bipolar disorder?"
那些診斷為精神分裂癥、分裂情感障礙或雙相情感障礙的人和那些大腦控制功能正常的人有什么區別？”
So we were essentially mapping the microcircuitry of the brain: which cells are communicating with which cells, with which chemicals,
所以我們首先畫出了大腦的微線性圖：哪些細胞是和哪些細胞是有聯系的？通過何種化學物質聯系？
and then in what quantities of those chemicals?
這些化學物質有多少？
So there was a lot of meaning in my life because I was performing this type of research during the day,
因此我的生活充滿意義，因為在白天，我一直在從事這種研究。
but then in the evenings and on the weekends, I traveled as an advocate for NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
但是晚上和周末，我則作為精神疾病聯盟一員從事一些宣傳工作。
But on the morning of December 10, 1996, I woke up to discover that I had a brain disorder of my own.
但是1996年12月10號的早上，當我起來時卻發現自己大腦有點紊亂。
A blood vessel exploded in the left half of my brain.
我的大腦左半球的血管充血爆裂。
And in the course of four hours, I watched my brain completely deteriorate in its ability to process all information.
在4個小時的時間里，我的大腦完全失去了它傳達信息的功能。
On the morning of the hemorrhage, I could not walk, talk, read, write or recall any of my life.
早上的腦充血使我不能走路、交談、讀、寫和喚醒其他身體機能。
I essentially became an infant in a woman's body.
盡管我是個成年的女性，但身體行動卻完全如同嬰兒一般。
