VOA慢速英語(yǔ): 大腦成像技術(shù)走進(jìn)非洲兒童

[ti:Brain Imaging Comes to Children in Africa] [ar:Jonathan Evans] [al:Technology Report] [00:00.00]From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report. [00:05.01]Brain imaging was once thought to be too costly [00:14.58]and difficult for widespread use in the developing world. [00:18.94]But the technology soon may be available in poor countries. [00:24.27]Brain imaging creates pictures of brain activity. [00:28.66]It uses infrared light -- [00:31.50]similar to the light produced by a television remote control. [00:36.29]Brain imaging can identify the first signs of cognitive delays, [00:42.17] mental problems, in newborns and young children. [00:46.40]Such children could be suffering from malnutrition – [00:50.89]a poor diet. [00:52.64]The technology has a long name -- [00:56.17]functional near-infrared spectroscopy, or f-N-I-R-S. [01:04.32]It involves placing an extremely small, [01:09.36]soft helmet around a baby's head. [01:12.24]Infrared light is sent through the bone protecting the brain. [01:17.62]It helps to show whether babies [01:20.68]are developing normally for their age. [01:23.42]f-N-I-R-S is considered safer than other imaging methods, [01:29.99]including MRI or PET scan. [01:33.69]And it also can be easily moved. [01:37.02]The brain scanner equipment can be loaded into a vehicle. [01:42.30]Health workers can drive it from village to village. [01:46.72]Clare Elwell is a professor of medical physics [01:51.66]at University College London. [01:54.50]She helped develop the relatively low-cost, [01:58.34]non-invasive imaging technology. [02:01.37]She says the device measures oxygen in the blood [02:05.86]to learn how babies' brains are developing. [02:09.39]"And as you use different areas of your brain, [02:13.17]you direct oxygen to those different brain areas. [02:16.02]And so if we look at the change in the distribution [02:19.01]of the oxygen in your brain, [02:21.46]we can work out how active your brain is [02:24.60]and what your brain is actually processing." [02:26.45]Clare Elwell led a study of the testing method in rural Gambia. [02:31.91]The babies involved were between four and eight months old. [02:37.35]They were examined three times over 15 months. [02:41.97]Researchers noted the babies' reactions [02:45.31]to different images and sounds. [02:48.30]"So if we present the babies with visual or auditory stimuli, [02:52.98]then we expect certain brain areas to light up, essentially. [02:57.22]We expect the oxygen to be diverted to certain brain regions." [03:00.32]She says that shows if those brain areas [03:03.51]are fully developed or mature. [03:06.51]And, she says, it shows if they are performing normally. [03:11.73]The babies looked at pictures of objects and people. [03:17.87]Human speech and non-human sounds such as running water [03:23.50]and bells tested the babies' hearing. [03:26.87]And their brain recognition was compared [03:31.11]to those of British children. [03:33.02]Clare Elwell says poor nutrition and childhood diseases [03:38.60]threaten the African children. [03:41.24]She says the goal is to identify babies [03:44.57]needing to be better fed or treated for health problems [03:48.91]that can harm brain development. [03:51.80]And that's the Technology Report from VOA Learning English. [03:56.78]I'm Jonathan Evans.

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Brain Imaging Comes to Children in Africa

大腦成像技術(shù)走進(jìn)非洲兒童

From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report.

這里是美國(guó)之音慢速英語(yǔ)科技報(bào)道。

Brain imaging was once thought to be too costly and difficult for widespread use in the developing world. But the technology soon may be available in poor countries. Brain imaging creates pictures of brain activity. It uses infrared light -- similar to the light produced by a television remote control. Brain imaging can identify the first signs of cognitive delays, mental problems, in newborns and young children. Such children could be suffering from malnutrition – a poor diet.

大腦成像曾經(jīng)被認(rèn)為過(guò)于昂貴，而很難在發(fā)展中國(guó)家廣泛使用。但是這項(xiàng)技術(shù)很快就可以在貧窮國(guó)家被使用了。大腦成像技術(shù)會(huì)生成大腦活動(dòng)的圖片。該技術(shù)使用紅外光線——類似于一種電視遙控器所產(chǎn)生的光線。大腦成像技術(shù)可以識(shí)別出新生兒認(rèn)知延遲和精神問(wèn)題的初期跡象，這樣的孩子可能會(huì)患有營(yíng)養(yǎng)不良。

The technology has a long name -- functional near-infrared spectroscopy, or f-N-I-R-S. It involves placing an extremely small, soft helmet around a baby's head. Infrared light is sent through the bone protecting the brain. It helps to show whether babies are developing normally for their age.

這項(xiàng)技術(shù)有一個(gè)很長(zhǎng)的名字——功能性近紅外光譜，或稱f-N-I-R-S。它會(huì)將一個(gè)非常小的柔軟的頭盔放在嬰兒的腦部，紅外光線會(huì)穿過(guò)保護(hù)大腦的頭骨。它有助于顯示嬰兒是否發(fā)育正常。

f-N-I-R-S is considered safer than other imaging methods, including MRI or PET scan. And it also can be easily moved. The brain scanner equipment can be loaded into a vehicle. Health workers can drive it from village to village.

f-N-I-R-S被認(rèn)為是比包括MRI(核磁共振成像)和PET掃描在內(nèi)的其他成像技術(shù)更安全的成像方式，而且它可以很輕易的移動(dòng)。大腦掃描設(shè)備可以裝到車上，衛(wèi)生工作者可以開(kāi)車帶著該設(shè)備去各個(gè)村莊。

Clare Elwell is a professor of medical physics at University College London. She helped develop the relatively low-cost, non-invasive imaging technology. She says the device measures oxygen in the blood to learn how babies' brains are developing.

克萊爾·艾維爾是倫敦大學(xué)醫(yī)學(xué)物理學(xué)的教授，她幫助研發(fā)了成本相對(duì)較低，無(wú)創(chuàng)式成像技術(shù)，她稱，該設(shè)備會(huì)測(cè)量嬰兒血液中的氧氣來(lái)了解嬰兒的腦部發(fā)育情況。

"And as you use different areas of your brain, you direct oxygen to those different brain areas. And so if we look at the change in the distribution of the oxygen in your brain, we can work out how active your brain is and what your brain is actually processing."

“當(dāng)你使用你大腦的不同區(qū)域時(shí)，氧氣就會(huì)相應(yīng)的供應(yīng)到這些不同的區(qū)域，所以如果我們查看氧氣在你的大腦的分布情況的變化，就能知道你的大腦有多活躍以及你的大腦實(shí)際在處理什么。”

Clare Elwell led a study of the testing method in rural Gambia. The babies involved were between four and eight months old. They were examined three times over 15 months. Researchers noted the babies' reactions to different images and sounds.

克萊爾·艾維爾在岡比亞的農(nóng)村主持了一項(xiàng)關(guān)于這種測(cè)試方法的研究，該研究所涉及的嬰兒的年齡在4到8個(gè)月之間，這些嬰兒在15個(gè)月內(nèi)被檢查了3次，研究人員注意到嬰兒對(duì)不同的圖像和聲音反應(yīng)不同。

"So if we present the babies with visual or auditory stimuli, then we expect certain brain areas to light up, essentially. We expect the oxygen to be diverted to certain brain regions."

“所以如果我們對(duì)嬰兒進(jìn)行視覺(jué)或聽(tīng)覺(jué)的刺激，然后據(jù)我們估計(jì)，某些特定的大腦區(qū)域就會(huì)被激活，我們預(yù)計(jì)氧氣就會(huì)被轉(zhuǎn)移到這些特定的區(qū)域。”

She says that shows if those brain areas are fully developed or mature. And, she says, it shows if they are performing normally.

她稱，這能顯示出這些腦部區(qū)域是否發(fā)育成熟，還稱，能顯示出大腦是否能正常運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)。

The babies looked at pictures of objects and people. Human speech and non-human sounds such as running water and bells tested the babies' hearing. And their brain recognition was compared to those of British children.

這些嬰兒看著物體和人的圖像。人類語(yǔ)言和諸如流水、鐘聲等非人類聲音檢測(cè)著嬰兒們的聽(tīng)力。并將這嬰兒的大腦認(rèn)知同英國(guó)兒童進(jìn)行了對(duì)比。

Clare Elwell says poor nutrition and childhood diseases threaten the African children. She says the goal is to identify babies needing to be better fed or treated for health problems that can harm brain development.

克萊爾·艾維爾稱，營(yíng)養(yǎng)不良和兒童疾病一直威脅著非洲兒童的健康成長(zhǎng)，并稱，我們的目標(biāo)是確定嬰兒需要被更好地喂養(yǎng)或治療那些有可能影響大腦發(fā)育的健康問(wèn)題。

And that's the Technology Report from VOA Learning English. I'm Jonathan Evans.

這就是美國(guó)之音慢速英語(yǔ)科技報(bào)道的全部?jī)?nèi)容，我是喬納森·埃文森。

Words In The News

imaging - adj., making an image of a body part for medical purposes

scanner - n., equipment used to see inside the body for medical purposes

distribution - n., the act of giving or delivering something to people

mature - adj., having completed natural growth and development

[page]聽(tīng)力原文[/page]

Brain Imaging Comes to Children in Africa

From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report.

Brain imaging was once thought to be too costly and difficult for widespread use in the developing world. But the technology soon may be available in poor countries. Brain imaging creates pictures of brain activity. It uses infrared light -- similar to the light produced by a television remote control. Brain imaging can identify the first signs of cognitive delays, mental problems, in newborns and young children. Such children could be suffering from malnutrition – a poor diet.

The technology has a long name -- functional near-infrared spectroscopy, or f-N-I-R-S. It involves placing an extremely small, soft helmet around a baby's head. Infrared light is sent through the bone protecting the brain. It helps to show whether babies are developing normally for their age.

f-N-I-R-S is considered safer than other imaging methods, including MRI or PET scan. And it also can be easily moved. The brain scanner equipment can be loaded into a vehicle. Health workers can drive it from village to village.

Clare Elwell is a professor of medical physics at University College London. She helped develop the relatively low-cost, non-invasive imaging technology. She says the device measures oxygen in the blood to learn how babies' brains are developing.

"And as you use different areas of your brain, you direct oxygen to those different brain areas. And so if we look at the change in the distribution of the oxygen in your brain, we can work out how active your brain is and what your brain is actually processing."

Clare Elwell led a study of the testing method in rural Gambia. The babies involved were between four and eight months old. They were examined three times over 15 months. Researchers noted the babies' reactions to different images and sounds.

"So if we present the babies with visual or auditory stimuli, then we expect certain brain areas to light up, essentially. We expect the oxygen to be diverted to certain brain regions."

She says that shows if those brain areas are fully developed or mature. And, she says, it shows if they are performing normally.

The babies looked at pictures of objects and people. Human speech and non-human sounds such as running water and bells tested the babies' hearing. And their brain recognition was compared to those of British children.

Clare Elwell says poor nutrition and childhood diseases threaten the African children. She says the goal is to identify babies needing to be better fed or treated for health problems that can harm brain development.

And that's the Technology Report from VOA Learning English. I'm Jonathan Evans.