研究发现大脑的青春期会持续到32岁

最新研究显示，从出生到死亡，人的大脑会经历五个不同阶段：9岁、32岁、66岁和83岁。

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. Why is the adolescent phase of the brain described as lasting until age 32, according to the article's reasoning?

A. Because white matter growth peaks precisely at that age

B. Because cognitive performance improves steadily until the early thirties

C. Because neural efficiency and integration continue beyond traditional definitions of adulthood

D. Because personality traits stop changing after that point 

无注释原文：

Your Brain Ages in Five Distinct Stages, New Research Shows

From: The Wall Street Journal

The brain goes through five distinct stages between birth and death, a new study shows. 

Scientists identified the average ages—9, 32, 66 and 83—when the pattern of connections inside our brains shift. The brain's adolescence phase, they discovered, lasts until age 32, and then it enters a period of stability until early aging begins at 66.

The study could help explain why brain-related conditions arise at certain ages, and could provide a better road map to understanding healthy aging.

“Maybe there is something going on that is changing within the brain structure or being optimized that sort of leaves us vulnerable for these specific things,” said Duncan Astle, a professor of neuroinformatics at the University of Cambridge and co-author of the study, which was published in November in the journal Nature Communications.

The study's authors examined results from about 4,000 brain scans taken from people in the U.S. and U.K., ranging from a newborn baby to a nonagenarian. The scans helped show white matter, the fatty substance that insulates the nerve fibers connecting brain regions. Researchers could see the physical connections and build a map of pathways that change over time.

They created an “average brain” for each year of life, Astle said. Then they examined a dozen characteristics and used a machine-learning algorithm to help pinpoint moments of significant change in the data.

The scientists determined the brain's childhood period of development lasts from birth to age 9. During this time, it grows in size, but—because we are born with lots of excess wirings—our brains prune connections that aren't used or as efficient, according to Tara Spires-Jones, director of the Center for Discovery Brain Sciences and professor at the University of Edinburgh, who wasn't involved in the research.

At age 9, our brains enter the adolescent phase, which the study authors said lasts until age 32.

“Neuroscientists hate it whenever you say to them, 'So, when is the brain mature? When is the brain adult?'” Astle said. “The really neat thing about this analysis is that it says when that is.”

During this stage, the brain's wiring becomes more efficient, and there is strong, rapid communication between regions as well as within them.  

At 32, our brains enter the “adult phase,” a period of consistency that lasts until 66. This time aligns with a plateau in our intelligence and personality, the researchers said, and the regions of the brain become more segregated.

Early aging begins after the next turning point. Between 66 and 83, some brain regions form stronger groups, known as modules, but they are less connected to other modules. White matter starts to degrade.

“Past age 65 or so there's brain shrinkage and decreases in the integrity of white matter, and that corresponds to—for many of us, though not all—a slight decline in some aspects of cognitive function,” Spires-Jones said.

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注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为华尔街日报官方译文，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Your Brain Ages in Five Distinct Stages, New Research Shows

From: The Wall Street Journal

The brain goes through five distinct stages between birth and death, a new study shows. 

一项新研究显示，从出生到死亡，人的大脑会经历五个不同阶段。

distinct /dɪˈstɪŋkt/ 1）表示“显著的，明显的；确实的”，英文解释为“clearly noticeable; that certainly exists”举个🌰：There's a distinct smell of cigarettes in here. 这里确实有一股烟味儿。

2）表示“明显不同的，差别明显的”，英文解释为“clearly separate and different (from something else)”举个🌰：The two concepts are quite distinct (from each other). 这两个概念（之间）有显著的差别。

Scientists identified the average ages—9, 32, 66 and 83—when the pattern of connections inside our brains shift. The brain's adolescence phase, they discovered, lasts until age 32, and then it enters a period of stability until early aging begins at 66.

科学家们确定了我们大脑内部连接模式发生转变的几个平均年龄——9岁、32岁、66岁和83岁。他们发现，大脑的青春期阶段会持续到32岁，然后进入一个稳定期，直到66岁开始早期衰老。

adolescence /ˌædəˈles(ə)ns/ 表示“青春期”，英文解释为“Adolescence is the period of your life in which you develop from being a child into being an adult.”

The study could help explain why brain-related conditions arise at certain ages, and could provide a better road map to understanding healthy aging.

该研究可能有助于解释为什么与大脑相关的疾病会在特定年龄出现，并为理解健康的衰老提供一个更好的路线图。

表示“发生；产生；出现”，英文解释为“to happen”举个🌰：Should the opportunity arise, I'd love to go to Beijing. 要是有机会的话，我很想去北京。

“Maybe there is something going on that is changing within the brain structure or being optimized that sort of leaves us vulnerable for these specific things,” said Duncan Astle, a professor of neuroinformatics at the University of Cambridge and co-author of the study, which was published in November in the journal Nature Communications.

“也许大脑结构内部正在发生一些变化或优化，这在某种程度上使我们更容易受到这些特定疾病的影响，”该研究的合著者、剑桥大学(University of Cambridge)神经信息学教授邓肯·阿斯特尔(Duncan Astle)说。该研究于11月发表在《自然通讯》(Nature Communications)杂志上。

vulnerable /ˈvʌl.nər.ə.bəl/ 表示“易受伤的；易受影响（或攻击）的；脆弱的”，英文解释为“able to be easily physically, emotionally, or mentally hurt, influenced, or attacked”举个🌰：I felt very vulnerable, standing there without any clothes on. 一丝不挂地站在那儿，我感觉自己不堪一击。

神经信息学（Neuroinformatics）是一个交叉学科领域，它结合了神经科学、计算机科学、信息工程、数学和物理学的方法与工具，旨在：收集、管理、共享神经科学数据（如脑成像数据、电生理记录、基因表达数据等）；开发工具与模型，以分析和模拟大脑的结构与功能；构建数据库与计算平台，促进全球神经科学研究协作。

The study's authors examined results from about 4,000 brain scans taken from people in the U.S. and U.K., ranging from a newborn baby to a nonagenarian. The scans helped show white matter, the fatty substance that insulates the nerve fibers connecting brain regions. Researchers could see the physical connections and build a map of pathways that change over time.

该研究的作者们查看了来自美国和英国的约4,000份大脑扫描，扫描对象的年龄范围从新生儿到九旬老人。这些扫描有助于显示白质，这是一种包裹着连接大脑各区域的神经纤维的脂肪物质。研究人员可以看到这些物理连接，并绘制出一幅随时间变化的通路图。

nonagenarian /ˌnɒn.ə.dʒəˈneə.ri.ən/ 表示“九十多岁的人”，英文解释为“a person who is between 90 and 99 years old”

substance /ˈsʌb.stəns/ 1）表示“物质；材料”，英文解释为“material with particular physical characteristics”如：an organic/chemical substance 有机/化学物质。

2）表示“重要性；要旨；实质；根据”，英文解释为“importance, seriousness, or relationship to real facts”举个🌰：There is no substance in/to the allegation. 这项指控毫无根据。

insulate /ˈɪn.sjə.leɪt/ 1）表示“使隔绝，使隔离”，英文解释为“to protect someone or something from harmful experiences or influences”举个🌰：Children should be insulated from the horrors of war. 应该让孩子远离战争的恐怖。

2）表示“使隔热；使隔音；使绝缘”，英文解释为“to cover and surround something with a material or substance in order to stop heat, sound, or electricity from escaping or entering”举个🌰：You can insulate a house against heat loss by having the windows double-glazed. 你可以给窗户装上双层玻璃来防止热量散失。

They created an “average brain” for each year of life, Astle said. Then they examined a dozen characteristics and used a machine-learning algorithm to help pinpoint moments of significant change in the data.

阿斯特尔说，他们为生命中的每一年都创建了一个“平均大脑”。然后，他们观察了十二个特征，并使用机器学习算法来帮助确定数据中发生重大变化的时刻。

algorithm /ˈælɡəˌrɪðəm/ 表示“算法；计算程序”，英文解释为“a set of rules that must be followed when solving a particular problem”

pinpoint /ˈpɪn.pɔɪnt/ 作动词，表示“查明，准确地说出，描述（事实真相）”，英文解释为“to discover or explain exactly the real facts about something or the cause of a problem”举个🌰：It's difficult to pinpoint the cause of the accident. 事故原因很难查明。

作形容词，表示“确切的，精确的”，英文解释为“very exact”举个🌰：The computer will calculate your position with pinpoint accuracy. 计算机能够精确地计算出你的位置。

The scientists determined the brain's childhood period of development lasts from birth to age 9. During this time, it grows in size, but—because we are born with lots of excess wirings—our brains prune connections that aren't used or as efficient, according to Tara Spires-Jones, director of the Center for Discovery Brain Sciences and professor at the University of Edinburgh, who wasn't involved in the research.

科学家们发现，大脑的童年发育期从出生持续到九岁。爱丁堡大学(University of Edinburgh)发现脑科学中心(Center for Discovery Brain Sciences)的主任兼教授塔拉·斯派尔斯-琼斯(Tara Spires-Jones)说，在此期间，大脑体积会增长，但因为我们天生就有很多多余的连接，我们的大脑会修剪掉那些不被使用或效率不高的连接；她没有参与这项研究。

wiring /ˈwaɪə.rɪŋ/ 表示“（建筑物中的）线路，布线”，英文解释为“the system of wires that carry electricity in a building”举个🌰：The nightclub closed after the fire brigade declared its wiring to be unsafe. 这家俱乐部在消防队宣布其电路布线不安全之后就关门了。

prune /pruːn/ 1）表示“修剪（树枝）”，英文解释为“to cut off branches from a tree, bush, or plant, especially so that it will grow better in the future”举个🌰：She spent the afternoon pruning roses. 她用下午的时间修剪了玫瑰。

2）表示“删除，删节”，英文解释为“to reduce something by removing things that are not necessary”举个🌰：I felt his essay needed a little pruning. 我认为他的文章需要稍作删节。

At age 9, our brains enter the adolescent phase, which the study authors said lasts until age 32.

九岁时，我们的大脑进入青春期阶段，该研究的作者称这一阶段会持续到32岁。

“Neuroscientists hate it whenever you say to them, 'So, when is the brain mature? When is the brain adult?'” Astle said. “The really neat thing about this analysis is that it says when that is.”

“每当你对神经科学家说‘那么，大脑什么时候成熟？大脑什么时候成年？'时，他们都很讨厌，”阿斯特尔说。“而这项分析的真正巧妙之处在于，它指出了那个时间点。”

neat /niːt/ 1）表示“好的，妙的”，英文解释为“good”举个🌰：That video game is really neat! 那个电子游戏简直太棒了！

2）表示“简单而聪明的”，英文解释为“clever and simple”举个🌰：It would be a neat solution to the problem. 这将是一个巧妙的解决方法。

3）表示“整洁的，整齐的；有序的”，英文解释为“tidy, with everything in its place”举个🌰：Your house is always so neat - how do you manage it? 你的房子总是这么整洁——是怎么做到的？

During this stage, the brain's wiring becomes more efficient, and there is strong, rapid communication between regions as well as within them.  

在这个阶段，大脑的连接变得更有效率，各区域之间以及区域内部的交流都变得强烈而迅速。

At 32, our brains enter the “adult phase,” a period of consistency that lasts until 66. This time aligns with a plateau in our intelligence and personality, the researchers said, and the regions of the brain become more segregated.

32岁时，我们的大脑进入“成年期”，这是一个持续到66岁的平台期。这些研究人员说，这个时期与我们智力和个性的一个平稳期相吻合，而且大脑的各个区域变得更加分化。

consistency /kənˈsɪs.tən.si/ 1）表示“连贯性；一致性”，英文解释为“the quality of always behaving or performing in a similar way, or of always happening in a similar way”举个🌰：They've won a few games this season but they lack consistency. 这个赛季他们赢过几场比赛，可是表现不稳定。

2）表示“（尤指黏稠液体的）黏稠度，黏稠性”，英文解释为“the physical nature of a substance, especially a thick liquid, for example by being thick or thin, smooth or lumpy, etc.”

plateau /ˈplætəʊ/ 作名词，1）表示“高原”，英文解释为“A plateau is a large area of high and fairly flat land.”

2）表示“平稳期；停滞期”，英文解释为“a period during which there are no large changes”

作动词，表示“稳定；停滞”，英文解释为“to reach a particular level and then stay the same”举个🌰：I'd been losing about a pound a week on my diet, but recently I've plateaued and haven't lost an ounce. 我通过节食体重每周减轻1磅左右，但最近体重稳定了下来，1磅也没少。

segregated /ˈseɡ.rɪ.ɡeɪ.tɪd/ 表示“受到隔离并差别对待的”，英文解释为“kept separate or treated differently according to race, sex, religion, etc. ”如：segregated schools 种族隔离学校。

Early aging begins after the next turning point. Between 66 and 83, some brain regions form stronger groups, known as modules, but they are less connected to other modules. White matter starts to degrade.

在下一个转折点之后，早期衰老就开始了。在66岁到83岁之间，一些大脑区域会形成更强的组合，即所谓的模块，但它们与其他模块的连接会减少。白质开始退化。

module /ˈmɒdʒ.uːl/ 1）表示“组件；模块”，英文解释为“one of a set of separate parts that, when combined, form a complete whole”举个🌰：The emergency building is transported in individual modules, such as bedrooms and a kitchen, which are put together on site. 应急住房以单独的组件运输，如卧室和厨房，它们可以当场进行组装。

2）module /ˈmɒdjuːl/ 表示“（航天器独立的）舱”，英文解释为“a part of a spacecraft that can operate independently of the other parts, especially when separate from them”

“Past age 65 or so there's brain shrinkage and decreases in the integrity of white matter, and that corresponds to—for many of us, though not all—a slight decline in some aspects of cognitive function,” Spires-Jones said.

斯派尔斯-琼斯说：“大约65岁以后，大脑会萎缩，白质的完整性会下降，对我们中的许多人而言，这对应着认知功能的某些方面会略有下降，不过并不是所有人都是这样。”

shrinkage /ˈʃrɪŋkɪdʒ/ 表示“缩小；收缩；收缩量；收缩程度”，英文解释为“the process of becoming smaller in size; the amount by which sth becomes smaller”如：the shrinkage of heavy industry 重工业的萎缩。

integrity /ɪnˈteɡ.rə.ti/ 1）表示“完整”，英文解释为“the quality of being whole and complete”举个🌰：A modern extension on the old building would ruin its architectural integrity.  在古老建筑物上附加扩建的现代建筑会破坏建筑风格的完整统一。

2）表示“正直；诚实；职业操守”，英文解释为“the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that you refuse to change”举个🌰：No one doubted that the president was a man of the highest integrity. 没有人怀疑总裁是个光明磊落的人。

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