60秒科学:Brain's Speech Center Finally Talks

Brain's Speech Center Finally Talks
In a study in the journal Science, researchers analyzed¹ the inner workings of Broca's area, long known as the brain's speech center, in pre-op brain surgery patients. Cynthia Graber reports

In 1865, Pierre Paul Broca pinpointed³ the part of the brain responsible for language by autopsying brains of the language-impaired—the region is now called Broca’s area. But more info has been hard to get. Because most brain research is done on animals—and they’re not talking.

The types of human research that we can do—such as brain scans—aren’t detailed⁴ enough for identifying words, using grammar, and the act of speech. But in a study published October 16 in the journal Science, researchers found a way around this barrier.

Some epileptics who don’t respond to drugs undergo brain surgery. Before cutting, surgeons implant⁵ electrodes to determine the exact site of the problem and to test healthy regions. So the researchers piggy-backed on the procedure by giving three patients language tests.

Patients thought of a word, changed its tense or number and silently articulated it. The scientists were able to pinpoint² these activities, all within Boca’s area. And the whole process took place within the 600 milliseconds that previous studies found was the time it takes for a person to go from zero to speaking. Researchers have thus now looked at the inner workings of Broca’s area—and communicated their findings.
 

1 analyzed   

v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 pinpoint   

vt.准确地确定；用针标出…的精确位置

参考例句：

• It is difficult to pinpoint when water problems of the modern age began.很难准确地指出，现代用水的问题是什么时候出现的。
• I could pinpoint his precise location on a map.我能在地图上指明他的准确位置。

3 pinpointed   

准确地找出或描述( pinpoint的过去式和过去分词 )； 为…准确定位

参考例句：

• His refusal to help simply pinpointed his cowardice. 他拒绝帮助正显示他的胆小。
• Computers pinpointed where the shells were coming from. 计算机确定了炮弹发射的位置。

4 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• 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。

5 implant   

vt.注入，植入，灌输

参考例句：

• A good teacher should implant high ideals in children.好教师应该把高尚理想灌输给孩子们。
• The operation to implant the artificial heart took two hours.人工心脏植入手术花费了两小时。