|
|
JimFallon_2009-_探索杀人凶手的心理世界_
|
I'm a neuroscientist , a professor at the University of California. |
我是一名神经学家,一名加州大学的教授。 |
neuroscientist:n.神经系统科学家;
|
And over the past 35 years, |
在过去的35年里, |
I've studied behavior on the basis of everything from genes through neurotransmitters , dopamine , things like that, all the way through circuit analysis . |
我都在研究人的行为。 不过研究的基础主要集中在基因 多巴胺之类的神经传导素 以及目标分析。 |
on the basis of:根据;基于…; genes:n.基因;(gene的复数) neurotransmitters:n.神经传导物质(neurotransmitter的复数形式); dopamine:n.[生化]多巴胺(一种治脑神经病的药物); circuit:n.环行路线;电路;线路;巡回赛;v.巡回;周游; analysis:n.分析;分解;验定;
|
So that's what I normally do. |
这些都是我通常所做的。 |
normally:adv.正常地;通常地,一般地;
|
But then, for some reason, |
但出于某种原因, |
I got into something else, just recently . |
我最近开始迷上了另外的一样东西。 |
recently:adv.最近;新近;
|
And it all grew out of one of my colleagues asking me to analyze a bunch of brains of psychopathic killers. |
究其缘由,则是因为我的一个同事 叫我去研究一批 心理变态的杀人犯的大脑。 |
colleagues:n.同事;同行(colleague的复数); analyze:v.对…进行分析,分解(等于analyse); a bunch of:一群;一束;一堆; psychopathic:adj.精神病的;精神错乱的;n.精神变态者;
|
And so this would be the typical talk I would give. |
所以你们这里看到的就是我通常会给的演讲。 |
typical:adj.典型的;特有的;象征性的;
|
And the question is, "How do you end up with a psychopathic killer?" |
而我探索的问题就是,“一个人是怎样变成心理变态的杀人凶手的呢?” |
What I mean by psychopathic killer are these people, these types of people. |
我对心理变态的杀手的定义 主要是针对这些人,这些种类的人。 |
And so some of the brains that I've studied are people you know about. |
所以我所研究的一些大脑实际上是属于 你们所听说过的人的。 |
When I get the brains I don't know what I'm looking at. |
当我刚拿到这些大脑的时候,我其实不知道我查看的究竟是何种大脑。 |
These were blind experiments. They also gave me normal people and everything. |
算是一个单盲实验,因为他们所给我的大脑中也混杂着正常人的大脑。 |
So I've looked at about 70 of these. |
我一共查看了大概70个大脑, |
And what came up was a number of pieces of data. |
并从中获取了一些数据。 |
So we look at these sorts of things theoretically , on the basis of genetics , and brain damage , and interaction with environment, and exactly how that machine works. |
我们从理论化的角度出发, 将基因 脑损伤、与环境的相互作用, 以及大脑的工作原理作为分析研究的基础。 |
theoretically:adv.理论地;理论上; genetics:n.遗传学; brain damage:n.(疾病、事故导致的)脑损伤; interaction:n.[计]交互,相互作用;相互交流;干扰;
|
So we're interested in exactly where in the brain, and what's the most important part of the brain. |
我们所感兴趣的是大脑中的具体位置 和大脑中最重要的部分。 |
So we've been looking at this. |
所以这就是我们长期以来的研究对象: |
The interaction of genes, what's called epigenetic effects, brain damage, and environment, and how these are tied together. |
基因之间的相互作用, 也就是所谓的后生效应, 大脑的损伤,环境因素, 以及他们之间的联系。 |
epigenetic:adj.后生的;外成的;渐成说的;
|
And how you end up with a psychopath, and a killer, depends on exactly when the damage occurs . |
而一个人变成心理变态狂,变成杀手的原因 就决定于脑损伤发生的确切时间。 |
occurs:v.重现(occur的第三人称单数);
|
It's really a very precisely timed thing. |
时机的掌握真的需要恰到好处。 |
You get different kinds of psychopaths . |
心理变态狂是有各种各样的。 |
psychopaths:n.心理病态性格;精神病者(psychopath的复数);
|
So we're going along with this. And here's, just to give you the pattern. |
这就是我们研究的主要方向。而我们所发现的规律就是 |
The pattern is that those people, every one of them I looked at, who was a murderer, and was a serial killer , had damage to their orbital cortex . |
这些人,我检查过的每一个人, 每一个杀人凶手,每一个连环杀手, 都在大脑的额眶部皮质有所损伤, |
serial killer:n.连环杀手; orbital:adj.轨道的;眼窝的; cortex:n.[解剖]皮质;树皮;果皮;
|
Which is right above the eyes, the orbits , and also the interior part of the temporal lobe . |
就在眼睛、眼眶的正上方。 再有就是太阳穴的内侧。 |
orbits:n.[天][航]轨道(orbit的复数); v.环绕…的轨道运行; interior:n.内部;内陆;内地;里面;adj.内部的;里面的; temporal:adj.暂时的;当时的;现世的;n.世间万物;暂存的事物; lobe:n.(脑,肺等的)叶;裂片;耳垂;波瓣;
|
So there is the pattern that every one of them had, but they all were a little different too. |
所以他们这些人之间是有规律可寻的。 但彼此之间有稍微有点不同。 |
They had other sorts of brain damage. |
他们也有其他类型的脑损伤。 |
A key thing is the effect of the major violence genes, like the MAO-A gene. |
重点就在于 最主要的暴力基因 被称作为MAO-A基因。 |
violence:n.暴力;侵犯;激烈;歪曲;
|
And there is a variant of this gene that is in the normal population. |
正常人群中是有这个基因的变种。 |
variant:adj.不同的;多样的;n.变体;转化;
|
Some of you have this. And it's sex-linked . |
你们中的一些人就有这个变种。它是跟性别有关的。 |
sex-linked:adj.[遗]伴性的;位于性染色体的;
|
It's on the X chromosome . And so in this way you can only get it from your mother. |
是在X染色体上。正因为如此, 你只能从你母亲那里遗传这个基因。 |
X chromosome:n.[遗]x染色体;雌性染色体;
|
And in fact this is probably why mostly men are psychopathic killers, or are very aggressive . |
事实上,这也许就是为什么男人、男孩 更有可能成为心理变态的杀人凶手, 变得非常有暴力倾向。 |
aggressive:adj.侵略性的;好斗的;有进取心的;有闯劲的;
|
Because a daughter can get one X from the father, one X from the mother, it's kind of diluted out. |
因为女儿还是可以从爸爸那里得到一个X染色体, 从妈妈那里得到另一个,所以总体上的效果就好像被抵消了一样。 |
diluted:v.稀释;冲淡;削弱;降低;(dilute的过去分词和过去式)
|
But for a son, he can only get the X chromosome from his mother. |
但如果是个儿子的话, 他就只能从妈妈那里得到一个X染色体。 |
So this is how it's passed from mother to son. |
这就是它如何从母亲传到儿子的。 |
And it has to do with too much brain serotonin during development. |
它也跟成长过程中分泌的血清素有关。 |
serotonin:n.[生化]血清素;5-羟色胺(血管收缩素);
|
Which is kind of interesting because serotonin is supposed to make you calm and relaxed . |
这其实是挺有趣的现象, 因为血清素本该让你平静放松下来。 |
supposed:adj.误信的;所谓的;v.认为;假设;设想;(suppose的过去分词和过去式) relaxed:adj.轻松的;冷静的;v.放松;休息;宽慰;(relax的过去分词和过去式)
|
But if you have this gene, in utero your brain is bathed in this. |
但如果你拥有这个基因,在母体里的时候 你的大脑就是整个沉浸在血清素之中。 |
utero:子宫; bathed:adj.沐浴的;淋漓的,湿透的;沉溺的;v.沐浴;(bath的过去分词);
|
So your whole brain becomes insensitive to serotonin. |
所以你的整个大脑都对血清素麻木了。 |
insensitive:adj.感觉迟钝的,对…没有感觉的;
|
So it doesn't work later on in life. |
正因此,在你随后的生命中,它就起不到它应有的作用。 |
And I'd given this one talk in Israel , just this past year. |
我之前在以色列给过这个演讲, 就在去年。 |
Israel:n.以色列(亚洲国家);犹太人,以色列人;
|
And it does have some consequences . |
而这项研究发现确实有着深远的影响。 |
consequences:n.后果,结果;影响(consequence的复数);
|
Theoretically what this means is that in order to express this gene, in a violent way, very early on, before puberty , you have to be involved in something that is really traumatic , not a little stress, not being spanked or something. |
因为从理论上来讲, 若想让这个基因发挥其作用, 引发暴力, 那么在很早的时候,在青春期之前, 你就必须经历一些非常惨痛的事情, 不只是一点小小的压力,不只是被打屁股这么简单, |
express:v.表达; adj.特快的; n.特快列车; v.使用快速服务; violent:adj.暴力的;猛烈的; puberty:n.青春期;开花期; involved:adj.有关的; v.涉及; (involve的过去式和过去分词) traumatic:adj.外伤的;创伤的;n.外伤药; not a little:许多,大量的; spanked:v.打(小孩的)屁股;(spank的过去分词和过去式)
|
But really seeing violence, or being involved in it, in 3D. |
而是真正目睹暴力, 或者是置身其中。 |
Right? That's how the mirror neuron system works. |
这就是镜像神经元系统的工作原理,对吧? |
neuron:n.[解剖]神经元,神经单位;
|
And so, if you have that gene, and you see a lot of violence in a certain situation, this is the recipe for disaster , absolute disaster. |
这样一来,如果你有那个基因, 而又在某个场合下 目睹了大量的暴力, 那么灾难就会产生,绝对的灾难。 |
recipe:n.食谱;方法;诀窍;烹饪法; disaster:n.灾难,灾祸;不幸;
|
And what I think might happen in these areas of the world, where we have constant violence, you end up having generations of kids that are seeing all this violence. |
而我觉得在这些长期被暴力笼罩的区域, 很有可能发生的就是 一代又一代的孩子 目睹着周边的一切暴力。 |
And if I was a young girl, somewhere in a violent area, you know, a 14 year old, and I want to find a mate , |
假如我是一个小女生,生活在某个暴力的地区, 14岁,想找个伴侣, |
mate:n.助手,大副; v.使配对;
|
I'd find some tough guy, right, to protect me. |
我当然是会找一个非常强壮的男生,来保护我。 |
Well what the problem is this tends to concentrate these genes. |
这样一来,问题就产生了,因为这些基因被聚集到了一起。 |
concentrate:n.浓缩物;v.聚精会神;集中(注意力);使…集中(或集合、聚集);(使)浓缩;
|
And now the boys and the girls get them. |
他们的儿子和女儿也因此会遗传这些基因。 |
So I think after several generations, and here is the idea, we really have a tinder box. |
所以我觉得几代过后, 我们真的就有了个引发暴乱的根源。 |
tinder:n.火绒;易燃物;
|
So that was the idea. |
主要的概念就是这样。 |
But then my mother said to me, "I hear you've been going around talking about psychopathic killers. |
但有一天我母亲对我说道:“我听说你到处进行演讲, 讨论心理变态的杀人狂, |
And you're talking as if you come from a normal family." |
听起来你好像来自一个正常家庭一样。” |
I said, "What the hell are you talking about?" |
我说道:“ 你到底在讲什么鬼?” |
She then told me about our own family tree . |
她随后就告诉了我们自己的家庭史。 |
family tree:n.家谱;谱系图;
|
Now she blamed this on my father's side, of course. |
当然了,她现在是把一切都归咎在我爸爸那边。 |
This was one of these cases, because she has no violence in her background. |
这算得上是案例之一,因为她的家族史是没有什么暴力倾向的, |
But my father did. |
但我父亲那边却有。 |
Well she said, "There is good news and bad news. |
她说:“我有一个好消息还有一个坏消息。 |
One of your cousins is Ezra Cornell, founder of Cornell university. |
埃兹拉-康奈尔,康奈尔大学的创办者,是你的表兄。 |
founder:vi.失败;沉没;倒塌;变跛;vt.破坏;使摔倒;垮掉;n.创始人;建立者;翻沙工;
|
But the bad news is that your cousin is also Lizzi Borden. |
但坏消息是利兹-伯顿是你的表姐。” |
Now I said, "Okay, so what? We have Lizzi." |
我回答到:“那又怎样呢?利兹是我的亲戚。” |
She goes, "No it gets worse, read this book." |
她说:“事情比这糟糕。读读这本书。” |
And here is this "Killed Strangely ," and it's this historical book. |
就是这本书,叫做“离奇谋杀”,是本记录历史的书。 |
Strangely:adv.奇怪地;奇妙地;不可思议地; historical:adj.历史的;史学的;基于史实的;
|
And the first murder of a mother by a son, was my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. |
里面记载的第一桩谋杀, 是一个儿子杀害母亲的案件, 而犯案者就是我的曾曾曾曾曾祖父。 |
Okay, so that's the first case of matricide . |
那就是第一起杀母案。 |
matricide:n.弑母;
|
And that book is very interesting. Because It's about witch trials, and how people thought back then. |
这本书其实非常有趣。它讲述了巫女审判, 还有那时候人们的想法。 |
witch:n.巫婆,女巫;vt.迷惑;施巫术;
|
But it doesn't stop there. |
但它不单单仅此而已。 |
There were seven more men, on my father's side, starting then, Cornells, that were all murderers. |
在我父亲那边,还有七位男士, 都是康奈尔家族的人,都是杀人凶手。 |
Okay, now this gives one a little pause. |
这就让人不得不倒吸口冷气了。 |
(Laughter) |
(笑声) |
Because my father himself, and my three uncles, in World War II, were all conscientious objectors , all pussycats . |
因为我老爸他自己, 还有我三个叔伯,在二战的时候 都是反战主义者,都是很温和的。 |
conscientious:adj.勤勉认真的;一丝不苟的; objectors:n.反对者;提出异议的人; pussycats:n.猫;有毛且柔软的东西;
|
But every once in a while , like Lizzie Borden, like three times a century, and we're kind of due. |
但我们家族隔三岔五,就会出现一个像利兹-伯顿这号人物,大概每100年出现三次, 现在差不多该轮到我们这一辈了。 |
every once in a while:有时;偶然;偶尔;时而;
|
(Laughter) |
(笑声) |
So the moral of the story is: people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. |
所以教训就是: 居住玻璃屋者不宜以石掷人。 |
moral:n.寓意;品行;教益;adj.道德的;道义上的;道德上的;品行端正的;
|
But more likely is this. |
但真正的教训是: |
(Laughter) |
[我不管这个世界对我有多了解,只要我老妈不知道就好。](笑声) |
And we had to take action. Now our kids found out about it. |
我们家人不得不做点什么。我们的孩子们也是得知了这些情况。 |
And they all seemed to be OK. |
他们看上去还不错。 |
But our grandkids are going to be kind of concerned here. |
但我们的孙子一辈则是需要格外注意的一辈。 |
grandkids:n.(外)孙;(外)孙女;(grandkid的复数) concerned:adj.有关的;关心的;v.关心;与…有关;(concern的过去时和过去分词)
|
So what we've done is I've started to do PET scans of everybody in the family. |
所以我开始为家里面的每个人 做大脑扫描。 |
(Laughter) |
(笑声) |
We started to do PET scans, EEGs and genetic analysis to see where the bad news is. |
我们已经开始做脑扫描,脑电图,基因分析, 来查明问题将会出现在哪里。 |
Now the only person, it turns out one son and one daughter, siblings , didn't get along. And their patterns are exactly the same. |
结果唯一有问题的 是一对兄妹, 曾经合不来。他们的图象是完全一样。 |
siblings:n.兄;弟;姐;妹;(sibling的复数)
|
They have the same brain, and the same EEG. |
同样的大脑,同样的脑电图。 |
And now they are close as can be. |
但他们现在却是亲密无间。 |
But there's gonna be bad news somewhere. |
可是我们知道肯定在某个地方有问题, |
And we don't know where it's going to pop up . |
只不过我们不确定问题将会出现在哪里。 |
pop up:v.突然出现;
|
So that's my talk. |
这就是我的演讲。 |
(Laughter) |
(笑声) |