睡覺時(shí)也能學(xué)習(xí)新東西？原來大腦并沒有休息

Your Brain Really Can Form New Memories While You Sleep

你的大腦真的能在睡覺時(shí)記住東西

A sleeping brain can form fresh memories, according to a team of neuroscientists.

根據(jù)一組神經(jīng)科學(xué)家的研究，睡覺時(shí)的大腦是可以形成新記憶的。

The researchers played complex sounds to people while they were sleeping, and afterward the sleepers could recognise those sounds when they were awake.

研究者們?cè)谌怂X的時(shí)候給他們播放了復(fù)雜的聲音，而這些人醒來后能夠認(rèn)出這些聲音。

In the new study, published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications, neuroscientists demonstrated that it is possible to teach acoustic lessons to sleeping people.

《自然通訊》雜志在8月8號(hào)發(fā)布了一篇新報(bào)道，神經(jīng)科學(xué)家們?cè)诶锩媛暦Q：向睡覺的人教授音頻課程是可能的。

"We proved that you can learn during sleep, which has been a topic debated for years," said Thomas Andrillon, an author of the study and a neuroscientist at PSL Research University in Paris.

“我們已經(jīng)證明了人可以在睡覺的時(shí)候?qū)W習(xí)，這個(gè)話題已經(jīng)爭論了好幾年了。”說這話的是托馬斯·安德里隆，他是這項(xiàng)研究的一位作者，也是巴黎的PSL研究大學(xué)的一名神經(jīng)科學(xué)家。

In recent years, scientists have trained sleepers to make subconscious associations.

近幾年，科學(xué)家已經(jīng)在訓(xùn)練睡覺的人在潛意識(shí)中建立關(guān)聯(lián)。

In a 2014 study, Israeli neuroscientists had 66 people smell cigarette smoke coupled with foul odours while they were asleep. The test subjects avoided smoking for two weeks after the experiment.

在一項(xiàng)2014年的研究中，以色列的神經(jīng)科學(xué)家讓66個(gè)人在睡覺的時(shí)候聞到香煙和惡臭的混合氣味。實(shí)驗(yàn)之后，這些受試者在兩周以內(nèi)都不愿意接觸煙味。

In Andrillon's view, the experiment helps to reconcile two competing theories about the role of sleep in new memories:

在安德里隆看來，這項(xiàng)實(shí)驗(yàn)調(diào)和了兩項(xiàng)正處于競爭關(guān)系的理論，這兩條理論都是關(guān)于在睡眠中形成新記憶的：

In one idea, our sleeping brains replay memories from our waking lives. As they're played back, the memories consolidate and grow stronger, written more firmly into our synapses.

其中一個(gè)觀點(diǎn)是，我們睡覺時(shí)，大腦會(huì)回放白天的生活，而隨著它的回放，我們的記憶會(huì)固化并得到加強(qiáng)，最終在突觸中長得更牢固。

In the other hypothesis, sleep instead cuts away at older, weaker memories. But the ones that remain stand out, like lonely trees in a field.

在另一個(gè)假說中，睡眠其實(shí)是在剪掉較老、較弱的記憶。而那些剩下來的就會(huì)顯得更明顯，就如同平地上的一棵樹。

The study indicates that the sleeping brain can do both, Andrillon said. They might simply occur at separate moments in the sleep cycle, strengthening fresh memories followed by culling.

安德里隆說，這項(xiàng)研究表明，睡覺時(shí)的大腦同時(shí)能做這兩件事。它們可能只是在睡眠的不同階段發(fā)生而已，強(qiáng)化新記憶和剔除記憶交互進(jìn)行。

A separate team of neuroscientists had suspected that the two hypotheses might be complementary. But until now they did not have any explicit experimental support.

另一個(gè)獨(dú)立的神經(jīng)科學(xué)家研究團(tuán)隊(duì)?wèi)岩?，這兩個(gè)假說可能是互補(bǔ)的。不過，在此以前，它們并沒有確鑿的實(shí)驗(yàn)證據(jù)來支持。

When asked whether understanding the roles of sleep cycles and memory could lead to future sleep-hacks, Andrillon said, "We are in the big unknown."

當(dāng)被問及“理解睡眠周期與記憶的關(guān)系能否讓我們?cè)谖磥慝@得跟睡眠相關(guān)的黑科技”，安德里隆說：“我們正處在巨大的未知當(dāng)中。”

But, he noted, sleep is not just about memory. Trying to hijack sleep could disrupt normal brain function.

但他還指出：睡覺并不是僅僅關(guān)于記憶。試圖操縱睡眠可能會(huì)打亂大腦的正常工作。

Which is to say, even if you could learn French while asleep, it might ultimately do more harm than good.

也就是說，即使我們能在睡覺的時(shí)候?qū)W法語，最終造成的傷害也可能比益處多。

"I would be very cautious about the interest in this kind of learning," he said, "whether this is detrimental to the other functions of sleeping."

他說：“我對(duì)這種學(xué)習(xí)方式是非常謹(jǐn)慎的，不論它是不是對(duì)睡眠的其他功能有害。”