Medical researchers today announced a tantalizing discovery. It involves a potential means of bringing back a person’s memory by shooting an electrical pulse through a device planted deep inside the brain. Restoring memory is one of the Holy Grails of medicine in that it can help patients whose memories have been robbed by Alzheimer’s. John McKinsey takes a closer look.
The discovery was entirely accidental. The patient, a 50-year- old man, was undergoing deep brain stimulation. With the patient under local anesthesia but fully awake, surgeons travel into the deepest recesses of the brain, moving gingerly at a quarter of an inch an hour and listening to electrical pulses as millions of brain cells communicate with each other.
“The language of the brain is electricity, and by applying tiny electrical currents, you can actually shut down different parts of the brain or activate different parts of the brain.” In this experiment, surgeons were hoping that adding electrical signals to a specific part of the brain would treat the man’s obesity by regulating his appetite.
But amazingly, in the midst of the operation, it did something completely unexpected. The patient suddenly reported a flood of intricately detailed memories from an incident decades ago. “He reported that he was in a park, that he was with his friends. He recognized the people, he recognized what they were saying. As we increased uh…the intensity of stimulation, uh…more of the detailsfilled in.”
That was just the beginning. Over the next year, researchers discovered the man who initially had normal memory before the operation was now scoring significantly higher on memory and learning tests. This is the same deep brain stimulation that’s had such a dramatic impact on Parkinson’s disease, helping patients with severe tremors. See them virtually disappear.
With this latest discovery, researchers are now applying these mild electric currents to Alzheimer’s patients. Early results look promising, but it will take several years of testing before doctors know for certain whether a mild electric current can spark memories locked away by this devastating disease. John McKinsey, ABC News, New York.
※ fill in : 1. 메우다, 채우다, 채워지다 ex. The stream is now partly filled in with weeds. 2. <문서 등에> 필요한 항목을 써넣다 ex. I spent over two hours filling in (= filling out) the application form. ex. Fill in the missing words. 3. 대리를 하다 (on) / to do someone's job for them while they are away ex. I'm filling in for the receptionist at the moment. 4. ~에게 (…에 관하여) 자세히 알리다[설명하다] (on) ex. My secretary will fill you in on the details.
※ lock away [in/out/up] * lock away [lock up] : 1. 자물쇠를 채어 보관하다 ex. Valuable items should be locked away. 2. 격리하다/ to put someone in a prison, or a hospital for mentally ill people ex. After the murder he was locked away for 50 years. 3. lock yourself away : to go somewhere where you can be alone ex. James locked himself away in his bedroom. * lock in : 잠구어 가두다 ex. You can't keep me locked in. / She went to her hotel room and locked herself in. *lock out : 잠구어 들어오지 못하게 하다 ex. She locked him out of the house after an argument. ex. I locked myself out again - could I use your phone? * lock up : 자물쇠로 잠구다 ex. I locked up and went to bed. ex. The last person to leave locks up the store.
tantalize : (보여서) 감질나게 [애타게] 하다/to make someone feel excited by showing or offering them something they want, often with no intention of giving it to them * tantalizing : 애타게 하는, 감질나게 하는, 기대 [흥 미, 욕망] 을 부추기는, 기대에 부풀게 하는 ex. a tantalizing display of chocolates pulse : 맥박, 고동, 파동, 펄스, 맥이 뛰다, 고동하다 plant : 심다, (폭탄 등을) 파묻다, 설치하다, (사람을 몰래) 배치하 다 ex. Three officers were accused of planting evidence in the suspect's room. ex. The police had planted an officer in the club to catch the drug dealers. ex. So far no one has admitted planting the bomb. Holy Grail : 성배 (聖杯) (the Grail) ((그리스도가 최후의 만찬에 서 썼다는 술 잔)) / something that someone wants very much to have or achieve ex. For our supporters, a place in the final is a Holy Grail. in that : ~ 이라는 점에서, ~ 이므로 ex. The conclusion is wrong in that it is based on false premises. 잘못 된 전제에 근거하고 있다는 점에서 그 결론은 틀렸다. undergo : ~ 을 겪다, 경험하다, <검열 수술을> 받다 /ex. undergo medical treatment 치료를 받다 stimulate : 자극하다 , 활기띠게 하다 * stimulant : 흥분제, 자 극제, 자극물, 흥분시키는 * stimulus : 자극, 자극물 ex. give a stimulus to ~ ~에게 자극을 주다 anesthesia : 마취 ex. local [general] anesthesia 국소 [전신] 마취 * anesthetic 마취의, 마취제 recess : 우묵히 들어간[후미진] 곳,【해부】와(窩), 벽감, [pl.] 깊 숙한 곳, (깊은) 마음 속; (통상의 일.활동의 일시적인) 휴게, 휴식, (법정.의회의) 휴 회, vi. 휴회하다 (adjourn), 휴교하다, vt. 우묵한 곳 [벽감] 을 만들다, <의 회법정 등을> 휴회 [휴정] 하다 * the recesses of something: 깊숙한 곳, 깊숙한 마음 속 ex. She reached into the darkest recesses of her handbag. / ex. In the deepest recesses of my heart I knew I loved him. ex. recess the Senate 상원을 잠시 휴회하다 * at recess 휴식시간에, 쉬는 시간에 gingerly : 몹시 조심스러운[스럽게], 아주 신중한[하게], 주의깊은 [게] ex. go gingerly 조심스럽게 가다 / ex. in a gingerly manner 아주 신중하 게 electrical current : 전류 shut down : 폐쇄시키다, 폐쇄되다, (컴퓨터나 기계가) 작동을 멈 추다, 작동을 멈추게하다 * shutdown : (공장 등의) 일시 휴업 [폐쇄], 조업 정지 activate : ~ 을 작동시키다, ~ 을 활성화하다 obesity : 비만 (adj. obese) in the midst of : ~ 한 가운데, ~ 가 한창인 때 flood : 홍수, 범람 , 쇄도, 범람시키다, 홍수지게 하다, ~ 에 많이 몰려 들다, 쇄도하다 ex. a flood of tears 마구 쏟아지는 눈물 / ex. Applicants flooded the office. 지원자들이 사무실에 쇄도했다 . ex. The station was flooded with refugees. 역에는 피난민들이 몰려 들 었다. intricate : 뒤얽힌, 얽히고 설킨, 복잡한 score : 득점하다, 득점을 기록하다, 성공하다 (to be successful in doing something) ex. She seems to have scored with her latest novel. impact : (물체와 물체의) 충돌 (collision), 충격, (강한) 영향, vt.vi. (~ 와) 충돌하다, 충격을 주다, 강한 영향을 주다 * have an impact on~ ~ 에 영향을 미치다 ex. Internet shopping has begun to have a serious impact on the traditional bookshops. tremor : (몸 손 목소리 등의) 떨림 virtual : 사실상의, 실질상의, 가상의 ex. The company had created a virtual monopoly. * virtual reality 가상현실 / * virtually 사실상, 거의 promising : 장래성 있는, 전도 유망한 / likely to be successful or very good ex. The weather is promising. 날씨가 좋아질 것 같다 ex. a highly promising young artist for certain : (= for sure) 확실히 ex. I don’t know for certain. 확실히는 모른다. lock away : 자물쇠를 채워 보관하다, 격리 하다 [메모 참고] devastate : ~ 을 유린하다, 황폐시키다, (사람을) 압도하다, 망연 자실케 하다 * devastating : 파괴적인, 황폐시키는, 충격적인, 끔찍한, 지독한 ( very shocking or upsetting) ex. a devastating fire/storm/flood ex. It is always devastating to be diagnosed with a terminal illness. * devastated : 1. completely destroyed, 2. very shocked and upset ex. devastated villages / ex. She was utterly devastated when her husband died.