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Showing mice 40-hertz flickering light -- and we demonstrated later, placing of 40-hertz buzzing sound -- creates a 40-hertz disco that increases the power and synchrony of these waves across the brain.
将实验组的白鼠暴露于40赫兹的闪烁光或40赫兹的电铃声下，会产生40赫兹的共振，使脑产生更强有力、更稳定的伽马波。
The effect reaches key parts of the brain, such as the prefrontal cortex, where we do planning and reasoning and the hippocampus where we create memories.
产生的效果可以影响脑的关键部分，比方说管理决策能力的前额叶和管理情绪的海马体。
So the light and sound stimulation approach seems cool and flashy. Literally.
这种视觉和听觉的刺激看起来好像很牛。确实很牛。
But what amazes the most is that it produced profound and widespread benefits in mice engineered to model this disease.
但更令人称奇的是这种技术可以产生更深远的好处。
Mice exposed to gamma light and sound stimulation had major reductions in protein build-ups, amyloid plaques and tau tangles that are hallmarks of Alzheimer's progression.
在实验组的老鼠中我们发现暴露于伽马波刺激下的老鼠有明显减少的蛋白质堆积和阿兹海默症致病因子，比如淀粉样蛋白斑块和T蛋白缠绕。
The stimulation preserved more of the connections or synapses that bind nerve cells into circuits.
这种刺激保护神经连接换言之就是连接神经元的突触。
More cells survived, so the brain decayed less.
更多的细胞可以存活下来，所以脑的退化更缓慢。
The brain naturally has open spaces known as ventricles.
脑中也有天然存在的空洞，被称为脑室。
And in the brain of mice left untreated, these ventricles became very big.
实验组老鼠如果不接受治疗，脑室会变得很大。
But in the brain of mice exposed to gamma-wave stimulation, these ventricles are closer to the size of healthy mice.
但是当这些老鼠暴露于伽马波刺激下，他们的脑室大小会接近于健康的老鼠。
And consistent with all of these physical differences, Alzheimer's mice exposed to light and sound stimulation show better performance on learning and memory tests than untreated mice did.
与这些生理性质一贯的是接受视觉和听觉刺激的老鼠相较于毫无治疗的老鼠而言，有更强的学习和记忆能力。
We are still studying why stimulating gamma waves works.
我们仍在研究为什么刺激伽马波会有用。
But we have made some key observations.
但目前我们有了些重大发现。
The brain has immune cells known as microglia that are supposed to maintain health by removing waste.
脑中含有被称为微小胶质细胞的免疫细胞，它们通过清除代谢废物的方式保持脑的健康。
These cells change their form and activity following gamma wave stimulation.
这些细胞会因为伽马波刺激而改变性状和活力。
We've also seen that the blood vessels in the brain respond to the stimulation.
我们也发现脑中血管也会回应这些刺激。
These vessels widen their diameters to increase blood flow, for instance.
比如，血管会靠增大直径来增大血流。
This improved circulation may play a key role in flushing out waste as well.
这样导致的血液循环加快，很可能关键地帮助处理代谢废物。
So, mice are nice. But people are the point.
这么解释老鼠没问题，但毕竟人才是重点。
So my group and others have begun testing gamma light and sound stimulation in humans.
我的团队开始研究伽马光和声波对人的刺激。
We've developed a delivery device that our volunteers can use in their homes.
目前我们设计了一种实验志愿者可以在家中自用的设备。
It’s a poster-sized light box with a speaker underneath to produce synchronized 40-hertz sensory stimulation.
这个海报大小的发光盒子底下有个扬声器，可以生成40赫兹的声波刺激。
A little tablet in the middle allows them to play videos when they are getting stimulated.
中间的小屏幕可以播放视频从而传递视觉刺激。
Recently, we have begun to see data emerge from these pilot clinical studies.
我们最近开始收集先导的临床试验数据。
Annabelle Singer, a former member of our MIT team and now a professor at Georgia Tech, recently published encouraging results showing that gamma light and sound stimulation entrains stronger gamma waves in people.
曾经任职于麻省理工的安娜贝尓·辛格，如今是佐治亚理工学院的教授，最近发布了令人鼓舞的数据表明伽马声波和光刺激着实增强了人的伽马波。
And their brains show increased connectivity and synchrony.
他们的脑也变得更稳定、更同步。
