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Imagine the brain could reboot, updating its withered and damaged cells with new, improved units.
想象一下大脑能够自我重启，升级自己那些发育不良或者受损的细胞为新的、改良的单元。
That may sound like science fiction, but it's a potential reality scientists are investigating right now.
这也许听起来跟科幻小说似的，但有朝一日这可能成为现实，科学家们也正在研究。
Will our brains one day be able to self-repair?
我们的大脑能够有朝一日进行自我修复吗？
It's well known that embryonic cells in our young developing brains produce new neurons,
众所周知，初期正在发育的大脑里的胚胎细胞能够产生新的神经元，
the microscopic units that make up the brain's tissue.
即构成脑组织的微单元。
Those newly generated neurons migrate to various parts of the developing brain, making it self-organize into different structures.
这些新生成的神经元游走到发育中大脑的不同部分，并自我组织成为不同的结构。
But until recently, scientists thought cell production came to an abrupt halt soon after this initial growth,
但直到最近，科学家们都一直认为，细胞增殖在初始发育过后不久就突然中止了，
leading them to conclude that neurological diseases, like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's,
这一想法导致他们认为，神经性疾病，比如阿兹海默症或者帕金森症，
and damaging events, like strokes, are irreversible.
跟中风一样，是无法逆转的毁灭性损害。
But a series of recent discoveries has revealed that
但一系列的最新发现显示，
adult brains actually do continue to produce new cells in at least three specialized locations.
成人大脑竟然至少在三个特殊的位置继续生成新的细胞。
This process, known as neurogenesis, involves dedicated brain cells, called neural stem cells and progenitor cells,
这一过程叫做神经发生，也就是说专门的大脑细胞，叫做神经元细胞以及祖细胞，
which manufacture new neurons or replace the old ones.
它们能够生成新的神经元或代替老的神经元。
The three regions where neurogenesis has been discovered are the dentate gyrus, associated with learning and memory,
科学家发现，神经发生这一过程存在于三个脑部区域：一个是与学习及记忆相关的海马齿状回，
the subventricular zone, which may supply neurons to the olfactory bulb for communication between the nose and brain,
一个是供给嗅球神经元的脑室下区，负责鼻子和脑部的交流，
and the striatum, which helps manage movement.
还有帮助管理运动的纹状体。
Scientists don't yet have a good grasp on exactly what role neurogenesis plays in any of these regions,
科学家目前还未掌握在这些脑部区域的神经发生具体扮演什么角色，
or why they have this ability that's absent from the rest of the brain,
或者说为什么它们仅存于这三区，而非整个大脑，
but the mere presence of a mechanism to grown new neurons in the adult brain opens up an amazing possibility.
但是在成人大脑中新神经元生成的这一机制本身的存在，开启了一种惊人的可能性。
Could we harness that mechanism to get the brain to heal its scars similar to how new skin grows to patch up a wound,
我们是不是能利用这一机制让大脑来修复自身的创伤，就像新皮长出来修复伤口，
or a broken bone stitches itself back together? So here's where we stand.
或者像断骨自我接合那样？我们现在的情况是这样的。
Certain proteins and other small molecules that mimick those proteins can be administered to the brain
一部分蛋白质和其它模拟这些蛋白质的小分子能被供给到大脑，
to make neural stem cells and progenitor cells produce more neurons in those three locations.
使得神经干细胞及祖细胞在上述的三个区域生成更多的神经元。
This technique still needs improvement so that the cells reproduce more efficiently and more cells survive.
这项技术仍需改善，让细胞更有效地增殖，让更多的细胞活下来。
But research shows that progenitor cells from these areas
然而，研究表明来自这些区域的祖细胞
can actually migrate to places where injury has occurred and give rise to new neurons there.
竟然还能游离到损伤发生的部位，并在那儿生成新的神经元。
And another promising possible approach is to transplant healthy human neural stem cells,
另一项有希望成功的做法就是移植健康的、
which are cultured in a laboratory, to injured tissue, like we can do with skin.
在实验室里培育的人类神经元细胞到损伤组织中，就跟植皮一样。
Scientists are currently experimenting to determine whether transplanted donor cells can divide, differentiate
科学家们正在试验中，以测定这些移植的供体细胞是否能够分裂、分化，
and successfully give rise to new neurons in a damaged brain.
并成功地在受损大脑中生成新的神经元。
They've also discovered that we might be able to teach other kinds of brain cells,
科学家们还发现我们也许能够教其它种类的脑细胞，
such as astrocytes or oligodendrocytes to behave like neural stem cells and start generating neurons, too.
如星细胞或者单树突胶质细胞，模仿神经元细胞的行为，也来开始生成新的神经元。
So, a couple of decades from now will our brains be able to self-repair?
那么几十年以后，我们的大脑就能自我修复了？
We can't say for sure, but that has become one of the major goals of regenerative medicine.
我们没有十足的把握，但是这已然成为了再生医学的主要目标。
The human brain has 100 billion neurons and we're still figuring out the wiring behind this huge biological motherboard.
人类大脑有一千亿的神经元，现阶段我们仍在研究这一硕大的生物主板是如何布线的。
But everyday, research on neurogenesis brings us closer to that reboot switch.
但每天，关于神经发生的研究都让我们离那个所谓的重启开关又更近了一步。
