產生幻覺的奇特原因：英語精讀講義

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

迷幻蘑菇、LSD，甚至深呼吸技巧，都可能讓你產生幻覺。

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

最新科學研究準確揭示了你的大腦裡正在發生什麼，以及這如何能成為解開你意識之謎的一把鑰匙。

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

科學家讓志願者服用迷幻藥，並掃描了他們的大腦，

using functional magnetic resonance imaging

所用技術包括功能性磁振造影

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

和腦磁圖；結果發現，預設模式網路的血流量減少了。

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

預設模式網路由內側前額葉皮質、

the posterior cingulate cortex,

後扣帶皮質、

the inferior parietal lobule,

下頂小葉、

the lateral temporal cortex,

外側顳葉皮質、

the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex

背內側前額葉皮質

and the hippocampal formation.

和海馬迴結構組成。

This network keeps your brain working efficiently.

這個網路讓你的大腦有效率地運作。

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

它經過演化，會過濾湧入大腦的海量資訊，

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

做法是預測你需要什麼，並剔除不需要的資訊。

If you are met with a new situation,

當你遇到新情況時，

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

預設模式網路會利用過往經驗，以更少的能量迅速做出決定。

It creates the human capacity for self-reflection,

它讓人類具備自我反思、

planning the future, worrying, and reason.

規劃未來、擔憂和推理的能力。

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

大腦正是在這個網路中編織出「你作為一個獨立個體是誰」的故事。

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

常見的迷幻物質，如賽洛新或麥角酸二乙醯胺，都屬於色胺類。

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

你體內天然存在的血清素也屬於這一類。

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

這些有機化合物都含有一個六原子環，與另一個五原子環相連，

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

而且都與大腦最外層的一種受體有很高的親和力，這種受體稱為5-HT2A受體。

Here we have the serotonin in your body,

這裡是你體內的血清素，

and here we have LSD.

這裡則是LSD。

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

LSD分子的色胺核心骨架與體內血清素的核心骨架相似。

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

這個結構連接著一個麥角靈骨架，後者又連著一個二乙醯胺取代基。

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

可以看到，由於它的形狀與血清素相似，

the LSD molecule binding to your 5-HT2A receptor.

LSD分子會與你體內的5-HT2A受體結合。

And due to its chemical composition,

而且，由於它的化學組成，

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

它與受體結合的時間會比你體內天然的血清素長得多。

When psychedelics bind to the 5-HT2A receptor,

當迷幻藥與5-HT2A受體結合時，

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

一連串細胞生物學反應會使預設模式網路的活動減弱。

This leads to ego dissolution, 片語搭配

這會導致自我消融，

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

也就是感覺自己與他人、與大自然本身之間的界線變弱。

In fact, fMRI scans of those on psychedelics

事實上，服用迷幻藥者的fMRI掃描結果

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

與經驗豐富的冥想者的掃描結果相似；後者能有效關閉預設模式網路，讓自我暫時消失。

Other times when the default mode network is decreased

預設模式網路的活動還會在其他時候減弱，

is during deep prayer,

比如虔誠祈禱時，

overwhelming experiences of awe,

或體驗到強烈得令人震撼的敬畏感時，

for example looking at the Grand Canyon,

例如凝望大峽谷，

or even near-death experiences.

甚至是在瀕死經驗中。

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

預設模式網路的活動減弱時，可能會伴隨幻覺，

but why?

但這是為什麼呢？

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

左圖呈現的是服用安慰劑者腦中的神經網路。

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

右圖呈現的是服用賽洛西賓後進入迷幻狀態者腦中的神經網路。

With decreased action from the default mode network,

隨著預設模式網路的活動減弱，

your brain is no longer working efficiently.

你的大腦不再有效率地運作。

It now has to make sense of increased information 慣用語

它現在必須設法理解更多資訊，

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

並開始用幻覺和異於平常的感知來填補空白，以因應這種局面。

Living plants might start to grow faces.

活生生的植物可能會開始長出人臉。

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

大腦永遠不會停止嘗試理解這個世界，

but now it is using new parts of the brain.

只是現在，它會動用新的腦區。

In fact, people who are colorblind

事實上，色盲人士

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

表示自己服用迷幻藥時，第一次看到了某些顏色。

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

其實，兒童的大腦與服用迷幻藥的成人大腦很相似。

As an adult,

成年後，

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

你已經從經驗中學習，並修剪了神經元，以便根據過往經驗有效率地因應各種情況。

For kids, most experiences are new.

對孩子來說，大多數經驗都是全新的。

When they encounter a situation,

當他們遇到一種情況時，

their brain is not efficient,

他們的大腦運作得並不有效率，

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

看起來更像右邊這張圖，而不是左邊這張圖。

This explains their curiosity, slower processing,

這解釋了他們為何好奇、處理資訊較慢，

obsession with nature,

對大自然著迷，

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

也解釋了為什麼他們在一些涉及創造力的智力任務中比成人表現更好，

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

甚至講白了，這也解釋了孩子為什麼表現得像嗑了藥一樣。

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

存在性痛苦和對死亡的恐懼，通常意味著預設模式網路過度活躍、

obsessive self-reflection,

對自我反思的執迷，

a fear of losing consciousness or the ego.

以及對失去意識或自我的恐懼。

This is why in recent years 表達脈絡

正因如此，近年來，

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

迷幻藥輔助治療已成為針對絕症患者、協助他們面對臨終恐懼的熱門療法。

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

成癮可能和你為自己建構的自我故事有關，

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

因此，有些前景看好的研究正利用迷幻藥輔助治療來減輕菸癮或酒癮。

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

美洲原住民長久以來一直使用具有迷幻作用的佩奧特仙人掌，治療殖民者帶來的酗酒問題，

and plagued communities since the genocide from white Europeans.

自歐洲白人實施種族滅絕以來，這個問題便一直困擾著他們的社群。

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

在以致幻劑作為治療工具的研究中，會有專業人士引導整段迷幻體驗，並格外重視當事人的心態與所處環境。

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

當如此大量的資訊湧入大腦時，風險很高，

and can lead to a bad trip. 用詞

可能會導致一次糟糕的迷幻體驗。

But one thing is for certain, 片語搭配

但有一點是肯定的：

hallucinogens are helping us understand how the brain works,

致幻劑正幫助我們了解大腦如何運作，

learn more about the human consciousness,

更深入地認識人類意識，

and are potential therapies for a variety of mental illnesses.

還可能成為治療多種精神疾病的方法。

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

本影片使用的所有資料連結都在下方。

I encourage you to read. 語氣意圖

我鼓勵大家去讀一讀。

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

我覺得，今年——至少對我而言——

about dealing with mortality 片語動詞

一直都圍繞著如何面對死亡展開，

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

而閱讀關於人類意識的研究和論文對我很有幫助。

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

另外，我會在下方放上我們的Podcast節目Sidenote的連結，

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

在節目中，我們會挑選具爭議性的主題，研究背後的科學。

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

最後，別忘了訂閱，才能每週看到更多科學影片。

Peace.

祝大家平安。