产生幻觉的奇特原因：英语精读讲义

Shrooms, LSD and even deep breathing techniques can cause you to hallucinate.

迷幻蘑菇、LSD，甚至深呼吸技巧，都可能让你产生幻觉。

New science shows exactly what is happening in your brain and how it can unlock a key to your consciousness. 語法

最新科学研究准确揭示了你的大脑中正在发生什么，以及这如何能成为解开你意识之谜的一把钥匙。

Scientists have administered psychedelics to volunteers and scanned their brain 短語搭配

科学家让志愿者服用迷幻药，并扫描了他们的大脑，

using functional magnetic resonance imaging

所用技术包括功能性磁共振成像

and magnetoencephalography and found decreased blood flow to the default mode network.

和脑磁图；结果发现，默认模式网络的血流量减少了。

The default mode network is made up of the medial prefrontal cortex, 短語動詞

默认模式网络由内侧前额叶皮层、

the posterior cingulate cortex,

后扣带皮层、

the inferior parietal lobule,

顶下小叶、

the lateral temporal cortex,

外侧颞叶皮层、

the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex

背内侧前额叶皮层

and the hippocampal formation.

和海马结构组成。

This network keeps your brain working efficiently.

这个网络让你的大脑高效运作。

It's evolved to filter out the vast amount of information coming to your brain 短語動詞

它经过进化，会过滤涌入大脑的海量信息，

by predicting what you need and getting rid of what you don't. 語法

做法是预测你需要什么，并剔除不需要的信息。

If you are met with a new situation,

当你遇到新情况时，

your default mode network will use past experiences to make quick decisions using less energy.

默认模式网络会利用过往经验，以更少的能量迅速做出决定。

It creates the human capacity for self-reflection,

它让人类具备自我反思、

planning the future, worrying, and reason.

规划未来、担忧和推理的能力。

It is where the brain creates the story of who you are as an individual.

大脑正是在这个网络中编织出“你作为一个独立个体是谁”的故事。

Common psychedelics such as psilocin or lysergic acid diethylamide are all tryptamines.

常见的迷幻物质，如赛洛新或麦角酸二乙酰胺，都属于色胺类。

So is serotonin, which is found naturally in your body. 語法

你体内天然存在的血清素也属于这一类。

These are organic compounds with a ring of six atoms attached to another with five atoms, 語法

这些有机化合物都含有一个六原子环，与另一个五原子环相连，

which all have a high affinity for a receptor found in the outermost layer of your brain called the 5-HT2A receptor. 講解

而且都与大脑最外层的一种受体有很高的亲和力，这种受体叫作5-HT2A受体。

Here we have the serotonin in your body,

这里是你体内的血清素，

and here we have LSD.

这里则是LSD。

The tryptamine core scaffold of the LSD molecule is similar to that of the serotonin in your body. 語法

LSD分子的色胺核心骨架与体内血清素的核心骨架相似。

It is attached to an ergoline scaffold connected to a diethylamide substituent.

这个结构连接着一个麦角灵骨架，后者又连着一个二乙酰胺取代基。

Here we see, because of its similar shape to serotonin,

可以看到，由于它的形状与血清素相似，

the LSD molecule binding to your 5-HT2A receptor.

LSD分子会与你体内的5-HT2A受体结合。

And due to its chemical composition,

而且，由于它的化学组成，

it will bind for longer than serotonin ever would naturally in your body. 語法

它与受体结合的时间会比你体内天然的血清素长得多。

When psychedelics bind to the 5-HT2A receptor,

当迷幻药与5-HT2A受体结合时，

a cascade of cellular biology causes the default mode network to decrease.

一连串细胞生物学反应会使默认模式网络的活动减弱。

This leads to ego dissolution, 短語搭配

这会导致自我消融，

aka feeling less separation from others and from nature itself. 用詞

也就是感觉自己与他人、与大自然本身之间的界限变弱。

In fact, fMRI scans of those on psychedelics

事实上，服用迷幻药者的fMRI扫描结果

is similar to experienced meditators who can effectively turn off their default mode network and temporarily vanish their ego.

与经验丰富的冥想者的扫描结果相似；后者能有效关闭默认模式网络，让自我暂时消失。

Other times when the default mode network is decreased

默认模式网络的活动还会在其他时候减弱，

is during deep prayer,

比如虔诚祈祷时，

overwhelming experiences of awe,

或体验到强烈得令人震撼的敬畏感时，

for example looking at the Grand Canyon,

例如凝望大峡谷，

or even near-death experiences.

甚至是在濒死体验中。

A decrease in the default mode network can come with hallucinations, 短語動詞

默认模式网络的活动减弱时，可能会伴随幻觉，

but why?

但这是为什么呢？

On the left is a visual depiction of the neural networks in the brain of someone given a placebo pill. 講解

左图直观展示了服用安慰剂者大脑中的神经网络。

On the right is a visual depiction of the neural networks in the brain of someone tripping on psilocybin. 用詞

右图直观展示了服用赛洛西宾后进入迷幻状态者大脑中的神经网络。

With decreased action from the default mode network,

随着默认模式网络的活动减弱，

your brain is no longer working efficiently.

你的大脑不再高效运作。

It now has to make sense of increased information 習語

它现在必须设法理解更多信息，

and starts filling in the blanks with hallucinations and altered perceptions in order to cope. 習語

并开始用幻觉和异于平常的感知来填补空白，以应对这种局面。

Living plants might start to grow faces.

活生生的植物可能会开始长出人脸。

The brain will never stop trying to make sense of the world,

大脑永远不会停止尝试理解这个世界，

but now it is using new parts of the brain.

只是现在，它会动用新的脑区。

In fact, people who are colorblind

事实上，色盲人士

report being able to see certain colors for the first time while on psychedelics. 語法

表示自己服用迷幻药时，第一次看到了某些颜色。

A child's brain is actually similar to an adult brain on psychedelics.

其实，儿童的大脑与服用迷幻药的成人大脑很相似。

As an adult,

成年后，

you have learned through experiences and pruned your neurons to deal efficiently based on past experiences. 語法

你已经从经验中学习，并修剪了神经元，以便根据过往经验高效应对各种情况。

For kids, most experiences are new.

对孩子来说，大多数经历都是全新的。

When they encounter a situation,

当他们遇到一种情况时，

their brain is not efficient,

他们的大脑运作得并不高效，

looking more like this graph on the right than this graph on the left. 語法

看起来更像右边这张图，而不是左边这张图。

This explains their curiosity, slower processing,

这解释了他们为何好奇、处理信息较慢，

obsession with nature,

对大自然着迷，

and why they're better than adults at some intelligence tasks involving creativity,

也解释了为什么他们在一些涉及创造力的智力任务中比成年人表现更好，

or just straight up why kids act like they're on drugs. 講解

甚至直白地解释了孩子为什么表现得像嗑了药一样。

Existential distress and a fear of dying usually means an overactive default mode network, 講解

存在性痛苦和对死亡的恐惧，通常意味着默认模式网络过度活跃、

obsessive self-reflection,

对自我反思的执迷，

a fear of losing consciousness or the ego.

以及对失去意识或自我的恐惧。

This is why in recent years 表達脈絡

正因如此，近年来，

psychedelic therapy has become a popular treatment for terminal illness and coping with end of life fear. 用詞

迷幻药辅助治疗已成为针对绝症患者、帮助他们应对临终恐惧的热门疗法。

Addiction can be related to the story you have built about yourself, 習語

成瘾可能与你为自己构建的自我故事有关，

leading to some promising studies using psychedelic therapy to decrease addiction to smoking or alcohol. 語法

因此，有些前景可期的研究正利用迷幻药辅助治疗来减轻烟瘾或酒瘾。

Indigenous Americans have long used the psychedelic peyote to treat the alcoholism introduced by colonizers 講解

美洲原住民长期以来一直使用具有迷幻作用的佩奥特仙人掌，治疗殖民者带来的酗酒问题，

and plagued communities since the genocide from white Europeans.

自欧洲白人实施种族灭绝以来，这一问题便一直困扰着他们的社群。

Studies that use hallucinogens as therapeutic tools have professionals who lead the trip and place importance on the set and setting. 講解

在以致幻剂作为治疗工具的研究中，会有专业人士引导整个迷幻体验，并高度重视心理状态和所处环境。

The stakes are high when letting this much information into the brain 習語

当如此大量的信息涌入大脑时，风险很高，

and can lead to a bad trip. 用詞

可能会导致一次糟糕的迷幻体验。

But one thing is for certain, 短語搭配

但有一点是肯定的：

hallucinogens are helping us understand how the brain works,

致幻剂正在帮助我们了解大脑如何运作，

learn more about the human consciousness,

更深入地认识人类意识，

and are potential therapies for a variety of mental illnesses.

还有望成为治疗多种精神疾病的方法。

Links to all of the resources for this video are below.

本视频所用全部资料的链接都在下方。

I encourage you to read. 語氣意圖

我鼓励大家去读一读。

I think this year has been, for me at least, 語氣意圖

我觉得，今年——至少对我而言——

about dealing with mortality 短語動詞

一直都围绕着如何面对死亡展开，

and reading research and studies on human consciousness has helped me.

而阅读有关人类意识的研究和论文对我很有帮助。

Also, I'll put a link below to our podcast Sidenote

另外，我会在下方放上我们播客Sidenote的链接，

where we take controversial subjects and study the science behind them. 短語搭配

在节目中，我们会选取有争议的话题，研究其背后的科学。

And finally, make sure you're subscribed for more weekly science videos.

最后，别忘了订阅，以便每周观看更多科学视频。

Peace.

祝大家平安。