科學家找到老鼠“殺手開關”

Step aside killer zombies: scientists have delved deep into ancient brain ­circuits to reveal neurons that can turn mild-mannered mice into ferocious predators — before switching the rodents back to their normal placid selves.

讓僵尸殺手靠邊站吧：科學家們對古老的大腦回路進行了深入研究，以揭示可能把性情溫和的老鼠變成兇猛的掠食者的神經(jīng)元，然后讓這些老鼠重新變成通常的溫和型。

The researchers at Yale University used “optogenetic” technology, which switches specific neurons on and off in genetically engineered animals using laser light, to tap into brain mechanisms that control predatory hunting.

耶魯大學(Yale University)研究人員利用“光遺傳”技術(利用激光開啟和關閉轉基因動物的特定神經(jīng)元)進入控制掠食性狩獵的大腦機制。

“We’d turn the laser on and they’d jump on an object, hold it with their paws and intensively bite it as if they were trying to capture and kill it,” said Ivan de Araujo, lead investigator.

首席調(diào)查員伊萬•德阿勞約(Ivan de Araujo)表示：“我們開啟激光后，它們會突然躍上一個物體，用它們的爪子抓住，用力咬它，就好像它們想抓住并殺死它。”

The mice attacked not only live prey such as crickets, which they immediately devoured, but also inanimate objects such as mobile plastic toys that they would normally avoid.

這些老鼠襲擊的不僅是蟋蟀等活的獵物(它們會直接吞下)，還會襲擊沒有生命的物體(例如它們通常會避開的移動塑料玩具)。

The study, published in the journal Cell, was part of a broader programme to research feeding behaviour in animals. The investigation of various brain regions showed that the central nucleus of the amygdala was closely associated with the urge to hunt and with controlling the jaw and neck muscles required to subdue and kill prey.

研究論文發(fā)表在《細胞》(Cell)雜志上，是研究動物進食行為的更廣泛計劃的一部分。對不同大腦區(qū)域的研究顯示，杏仁體區(qū)域的中央神經(jīng)元與獵食欲望以及控制下頜和頸部肌肉(制服并殺死獵物所需)密切相關。

By manipulating brain cells in this region through optogenetics, the Yale team found one distinct set of neurons controlled pursuit and another controlled the kill. If the hunting neurons were switched on and the biting set inactivated, the mice pursued prey but could not deliver the killer bite to finish it off.

通過光遺傳技術來操控這個大腦區(qū)域的腦細胞，耶魯大學研究團隊發(fā)現(xiàn)，一套神經(jīng)元控制追逐，另一套則控制殺戮。如果啟動追逐神經(jīng)元，但不啟動咬食神經(jīng)元，老鼠會追上獵物，但無法咬死后者。

The next stage in the Yale project will be to explore how sensory inputs — from the eyes, nose and ears — into the amygdala trigger predatory behaviour and co-ordinate its pursuit and killing modules. “We now have a grip on their anatomical identities, so we hope we can manipulate them even more precisely in the future,” said Prof de Araujo.

耶魯大學研究項目的下一個階段將是探索進入大腦杏仁體區(qū)域的感官信息(來自眼睛、鼻子和耳朵)如何觸發(fā)掠食行為，并協(xié)調(diào)追逐和殺戮模塊。德阿勞約教授表示：“我們現(xiàn)在了解了它們的解剖學特點，因此我們希望未來能夠更精準地操控它們。”

The brain mechanisms involved are ancient. He said the ability to hunt was a “major evolutionary advantage”, pointing to the evolution of jaws in vertebrates, which began with fish about 400m years ago.

研究涉及的是古老的大腦機制。他表示，獵食能力是一項“重大進化優(yōu)勢”，他指出脊椎動物下頜的進化，這起始于大約4億年前的魚類。

The Yale research could have practical applications, such as treating neurological diseases. Researchers in mobile robotics and artificial intelligence could also use information from the predatory brain to create a device that pounces on a moving target, Prof de Araujo added.

耶魯大學的研究可能具有實際應用空間，例如治療神經(jīng)疾病。德阿勞約教授補充稱，研究移動機器人和人工智能的人員也可以利用來自大腦掠食區(qū)域的信息，創(chuàng)建一種撲向移動目標的設備。

But the production of killer zombie mice is not on the agenda.

但是制造殺人僵尸老鼠不在議程上。