经济学人: 孤独症 (2)

 She found that, while the genetically² engineered mice and the BTBR mice had, as expected, reduced levels of L. reuteri, 她发现，虽然经过基因编辑的老鼠和BTBR老鼠体内的罗伊氏乳杆菌果然有所减少，

and those with bacteria-free guts⁴ were obviously free of the bug⁵ altogether, the valproic-acid mice had normal amounts of the bacterium⁶. 但那些体内没有细菌的老鼠明显也没有了罗伊氏乳杆菌，暴露于丙戊酸的老鼠体内细菌水平正常。

This last result was unexpected, but the team carried on regardless. 最后的这个结果出人意料，但团队还在坚持。

They arranged for between seven and 15 mice of each of the four types to have, starting at the age of three weeks, their drinking water laced with L. reuteri. 他们组了四种类型并安排每一类型中的7到15只老鼠，从三周大的时候就开始饮用掺有罗伊氏乳杆菌的水。

Equivalent numbers of each type continued to be given ordinary water as a control. 作为实验对照，让每种类型中相同数量的老鼠继续饮用普通水。

During the course of the experiment the mice had their faeces collected regularly, so that their bacteria could be tracked. 在实验期间，定期收集老鼠的排泄物，以追踪它们体内的细菌。

And, at the age of seven weeks, they were given two sorts of social tests. 在7周的时候，对它们进行两种社会测试。

The first test involved putting each experimental mouse into a perspex container from which it could go either into a chamber⁷ 第一项测试是将每只实验鼠放进一个有机玻璃容器中，它们可以选择钻进其中一个房间中

where there was an empty wire cup or into one where there was a similar cup containing an unfamiliar⁸ mouse. 房间中有一个空的线圈杯子，或是进入另一个房间中，这个房间中有一个相似的杯子，但杯中有一只陌生的老鼠。

Subject mice were left in the container for ten minutes and were monitored to see how long they spent with the empty cup and with the other mouse. 实验鼠被留在容器内十分钟并对它们留在空杯中的时间以及和另一只老鼠待在一起的时间进行监测。

The second test placed a mouse in an arena⁹ where another, unfamiliar mouse was already present. 第二项测试将一只老鼠放在一个台子上，台中已经站上了另一只陌生的老鼠。

An observer, who did not know which mice were controls and which had been given L. reuteri in their water, 然后由一名观察员（这名观察员不知道哪种老鼠是对照组老鼠，哪只饮用了掺有罗伊氏乳杆菌的水）

then noted¹⁰ how often over the course of ten minutes the two mice touched, sniffed¹¹, groomed¹² and crawled on one another. 记下在这十分钟内，这两只老鼠相互触摸、闻、顺毛和爬行的频率。

In both tests, all the mice that had had their water laced with L. reuteri, regardless of how their autism had been induced, 在两项测试中，所有饮用了罗伊氏乳杆菌水的老鼠，不论它们孤独症诱因是什么，

were more sociable¹³ than equivalents that had been drinking unlaced water. In the first, they spent twice as much time with the mouse under the wire cup. 均比饮用普通水的同等类更喜欢社交。在第一项测试中，它们在线圈杯中和老鼠相处的时间是同等类的两倍。

In the second, they engaged in many more social interactions with the unfamiliar mouse. 在第二项测试中，它们和另一只不熟悉老鼠的社交互动更多。

The team's initial hypothesis had been that the supplementary¹⁴ L. reuteri were somehow changing the gut³ flora¹⁵ of the mice exposed to them into something more normal. 团队的初步假设是，添加罗伊氏乳杆菌改变了它们体内的肠道菌群，让它们变得更加正常。

But they weren't. Indeed, L. reuteri proved able to abolish autistic behaviour even in those mice which had guts otherwise devoid¹⁶ of microbes— 但并非如此，罗伊氏乳杆菌确实有消除孤独症行为的可能，即便是那些肠道缺乏细菌的老鼠

as well as in those with valproic-acid-induced autism, which already had normal levels of the bug. 以及那些被丙戊酸诱发孤独症的老鼠，它们已经拥有正常的罗伊氏乳杆菌水平。

That suggests boosting levels of this bacterial¹⁷ species is shaping behaviour all by itself. 这表明促进这种细菌种群的含量是在通过其本身来塑造行为的。

Their next hypothesis was that the bacterium was doing this by interacting somehow with oxytocin, 他们的第二个假设是，细菌通过和催产素的相互作用消除了消除孤独症行为，

a hormone¹⁸ that shapes behaviour and plays a part in the ways in which people and other mammals form social bonds. 催产素是一种塑造行为的激素，以不同的方式在人类和其他哺乳动物的社会联系形成中起作用。

Dr Costa-Mattioli knew from work published in 2013 that spraying oxytocin into the noses of mice with autistic symptoms helps to ameliorate some of those symptoms. Costa-Mattioli博士从2013年发表的一项研究中了解到，往有孤独症症状的老鼠的鼻子喷射催产素可以帮助改善其中一些症状。

Dr Sgritta therefore ran the experiments again, but this time on autistic mice that had had the oxytocin receptors on the relevant neurons disabled by genetic¹ engineering. 因此Sgritta博士再次进行实验，但这一次的实验老鼠是，通过遗传工程将相关神经上的催产素接受器破坏掉。

In these new experiments, the presence of L. reuteriin drinking water had no effect. 在这些新实验中，罗伊氏乳杆菌的存在没有效果。

 

1 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

2 genetically   

adv.遗传上

参考例句：

• All the bees in the colony are genetically related. 同一群体的蜜蜂都有亲缘关系。
• Genetically modified foods have already arrived on American dinner tables. 经基因改造加工过的食物已端上了美国人的餐桌。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 基因与食物

3 gut   

n.[pl.]胆量；内脏；adj.本能的；vt.取出内脏

参考例句：

• It is not always necessary to gut the fish prior to freezing.冷冻鱼之前并不总是需要先把内脏掏空。
• My immediate gut feeling was to refuse.我本能的直接反应是拒绝。

4 guts   

v.狼吞虎咽，贪婪地吃，飞碟游戏（比赛双方每组5人，相距15码，互相掷接飞碟）；毁坏（建筑物等）的内部( gut的第三人称单数 )；取出…的内脏n.勇气( gut的名词复数 )；内脏；消化道的下段；肠

参考例句：

• I'll only cook fish if the guts have been removed. 鱼若已收拾干净，我只需烧一下即可。
• Barbara hasn't got the guts to leave her mother. 巴巴拉没有勇气离开她妈妈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 bug   

n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器

参考例句：

• There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
• The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。

6 bacterium   

n.(pl.)bacteria 细菌

参考例句：

• The bacterium possibly goes in the human body by the mouth.细菌可能通过口进入人体。
• A bacterium is identified as the cause for his duodenal ulcer.一种细菌被断定为造成他十二指肠溃疡的根源。

7 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

8 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。

9 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

10 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

11 sniffed   

v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣，吸了吸鼻子，擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 groomed   

v.照料或梳洗（马等）( groom的过去式和过去分词 )；使做好准备；训练；（给动物）擦洗

参考例句：

• She is always perfectly groomed. 她总是打扮得干净利落。
• Duff is being groomed for the job of manager. 达夫正接受训练，准备当经理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 sociable   

adj.好交际的，友好的，合群的

参考例句：

• Roger is a very sociable person.罗杰是个非常好交际的人。
• Some children have more sociable personalities than others.有些孩子比其他孩子更善于交际。

14 supplementary   

adj.补充的，附加的

参考例句：

• There is a supplementary water supply in case the rain supply fails.万一主水源断了，我们另外有供水的地方。
• A supplementary volume has been published containing the index.附有索引的增补卷已经出版。

15 flora   

n.(某一地区的)植物群

参考例句：

• The subtropical island has a remarkably rich native flora.这个亚热带岛屿有相当丰富的乡土植物种类。
• All flora need water and light.一切草木都需要水和阳光。

16 devoid   

adj.全无的，缺乏的

参考例句：

• He is completely devoid of humour.他十分缺乏幽默。
• The house is totally devoid of furniture.这所房子里什么家具都没有。

17 bacterial   

a.细菌的

参考例句：

• Bacterial reproduction is accelerated in weightless space. 在失重的空间，细菌繁殖加快了。
• Brain lesions can be caused by bacterial infections. 大脑损伤可能由细菌感染引起。

18 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。