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美國猶他州立大學的研究人員近期在一份研究報告中宣布，他們可以通過電腦將人類腦電波翻譯成文字，且準確率最高可達90%。這一突破性進展有望能幫助那些因中風或腦部傷害而無法用語言交流的病人以及患有“閉鎖綜合征”的病人自如地與人交流，而不僅限于通過眨眼或輕微手勢等原始的方式表達想法。如果發展成熟，這樣的“讀腦器”將能夠讀懂任何人的心思。據研究人員介紹，“讀腦器”是將兩套電極固定在患者的大腦表面，一套位于大腦左側控制臉部肌肉運動的運動皮質區，另一套位于左耳上方負責翻譯語言的韋尼克氏區；全部操作均在大腦表面完成，不會像目前的腦電波勘測技術那樣要穿過大腦皮層，因此相對比較安全。
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Researchers have been able to translate brain signals into speech using sensors attached to the surface of the brain for the first time. |
Researchers have been able to translate brain signals into speech using sensors attached to the surface of the brain for the first time.
The breakthrough, which is up to 90 percent accurate, offers a way to communicate for paralyzed patients who cannot speak and could eventually lead to being able to read anyone thoughts.
"We were beside ourselves with excitement when it started working," said Professor Bradley Greger, a bioengineer at Utah University who led the team of researchers.
"I would call it brain reading and we hope that in two or three years it will be available for use for paralyzed patients."
The experimental breakthrough came when the team attached two button sized grids of 16 tiny electrodes to the speech centers of the brain of an epileptic patient. The sensors were attached to the surface of the brain. The patient had had part of his skull removed for another operation to treat his condition.
Using the electrodes, the scientists recorded brain signals in a computer as the patient repeatedly read each of 10 words that might be useful to a paralyzed person: yes, no, hot, cold, hungry, thirsty, hello, goodbye, more and less.
Then they got him to repeat the words to the computer and it was able to match the brain signals for each word 76 percent to 90 percent of the time. The computer picked up the patient’s brain waves as he talked and did not use any voice recognition software.
Because just thinking a word – and not saying it – is thought to produce the same brain signals, Prof Greger and his team believe that soon they will be able to have translation device and voice box that repeats the word you are thinking.
What is more, the brains of people who are paralyzed are often healthy and produce the same signals as those in able bodied people – it is just they are blocked by injury from reaching the muscle.
The researchers said the method needs improvement, but could lead in a few years to clinical trials on paralyzed people who cannot speak due to so-called "locked-in" syndrome.
People who eventually could benefit from a wireless device that converts thoughts into computer-spoken words include those paralyzed by stroke, disease and injury, Prof Greger said.
People who are now “locked in” often communicate with any movement they can make – blinking an eye or moving a hand slightly – to arduously pick letters or words from a list.
The new device would allow them freedom to speak on their own.
The study, published in the journal of Neural Engineering, used a new kind of non-penetrating microelectrodes that sit on the brain without poking into it.
The first was attached to the face motor cortex, which controls facial movement and is on the top left hand side of the brain.
The second was attached to the Wernicke's area, an area just above the left ear that acts as a sort of language translator for the brain.
Because the microelectrodes do not penetrate brain matter, they are considered safe to place on speech areas of the brain – something that cannot be done with penetrating electrodes that have been used in experimental devices to help paralyzed people control a computer cursor or an artificial arm.
The researchers were most accurate – 85 percent – in distinguishing brain signals for one word from those for another when they used signals recorded from the facial motor cortex.
They were less accurate – 76 percent – when using signals from Wernicke’s area.
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(Agencies)
Vocabulary:
"locked-in" syndrome: 閉鎖綜合征，指患者雖然意識清楚，但卻不能說話，不能活動的一種特殊表現。因患者不說不動，貌似昏迷，所以又叫假性昏迷。這種綜合征多因橋腦基底部血栓所致。
（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）
