据官媒报道，在中国的一场早期临床试验中，一名因脑出血昏迷三个月的患者在接受使用定向声波帮助“唤醒”严重受损大脑的治疗后，已恢复了说话、进食并在他人辅助下行走的能力。
After spending three months in a coma following a brain haemorrhage, a patient in China has regained the ability to speak, eat and walk with support – part of an early clinical trial using targeted sound waves to help “wake up” severely damaged brains, according to state media.
中国官媒中央电视台本周早些时候报道称，该技术由包括中国科学院深圳先进技术研究院在内的联合团队开发，利用聚焦超声波刺激大脑深处区域，无需进行侵入性手术或植入电极。
The technology, developed by a coalition including the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, used focused ultrasound waves to stimulate regions deep within the brain without requiring invasive surgery or implanted electrodes, state broadcaster CCTV reported earlier this week.
该技术在本月早些时候于深圳开幕的一场脑机接口（BCI）产业大会上亮相。尽管公众对脑机接口的关注往往集中在控制计算机或机器人假肢上，但这项研究展示了将此类技术应用于神经康复的努力。
It was presented at a brain-computer interface (BCI) industry conference that opened in Shenzhen earlier this month. While public attention around BCIs often centres on controlling computers or robotic limbs, the research showcased efforts to apply such technologies to neurological rehabilitation.
该技术利用磁共振成像（MRI）来确定目标区域，尤其是对意识及神经网络间交流起关键作用的丘脑。通过将聚焦超声脉冲引导至这些区域，研究人员试图恢复对意识至关重要的大脑网络。
The technique uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to identify target zones, especially the thalamus, which plays a critical role in awareness and communication between neural networks. By directing focused ultrasound pulses towards these regions, researchers seek to restore brain networks essential to consciousness.
据央视报道，在与昆明医科大学合作开展的一项初步研究中，24名患有慢性意识障碍的患者中有13人在清醒行为方面表现出改善。他们在四周内接受了每周三次、每次20分钟的治疗。
In a preliminary study conducted alongside Kunming Medical University, 13 out of 24 patients with chronic disorders of consciousness showed improvements in conscious behaviour, according to CCTV. They received three 20-minute sessions per week over four weeks.
在一个显著的病例中，一名因脑出血昏迷了三个月的患者在经过30天的超声疗法和康复治疗后，能够重新进行交谈、自己进食并在帮助下行走。
In one notable case, a patient who had spent three months in a coma following a brain bleed was able to have conversations again, feed himself and walk with help after 30 days of ultrasound therapy and rehabilitation.
然而，央视的报道并未说明该试验是否包含对照组，这可能会限制所能得出的结论。
However, the CCTV report did not indicate whether the trial included a control group, which could limit the conclusions that can be drawn.
在电视播报这些发现之前，同一研究小组于2月在《精神病学前沿》上发表了一项早期的同行评审病例研究。通过追踪一名接受聚焦超声治疗的患者，该团队记录了“渐进且具有临床意义的行为恢复，最终从微意识状态中苏醒”。
The televised findings followed an earlier peer-reviewed case study published by the same research group in Frontiers in Psychiatry in February. Tracking a single patient treated with focused ultrasound, the team documented a “progressive and clinically significant behavioural recovery, ultimately emerging from the minimally conscious state”.
*但研究人员警告称，在没有更广泛的对照研究之前，不能将单个患者的发现普遍化。
But the researchers cautioned that the findings from one patient could not be generalised without broader, controlled studies.
聚焦超声因其能够触及大脑深层结构而备受关注，且不会带来与开颅手术或外科植入物相关的风险。通过超声恢复意识的雄心正在全球范围内积蓄势头。
Focused ultrasound has attracted interest because of its ability to reach deep brain structures without the risks associated with craniotomy or surgical implants. The ambition to restore consciousness through ultrasound is starting to gain momentum worldwide.
在美国，一项由加利福尼亚大学洛杉矶分校领导的多中心临床试验正在招募60名严重脑损伤患者。该研究包括一个假刺激对照组，以确认任何改善究竟是直接来自医疗干预，还是来自自发康复。对基于超声的大脑接口的商业兴趣也在增长。
In the United States, a multicentre clinical trial led by the University of California, Los Angeles, is recruiting 60 patients with severe brain injuries. The study includes a sham-stimulation control group to confirm whether any improvements come directly from the medical intervention rather than from spontaneous recovery. Commercial interest in ultrasound-based brain interfaces is also growing.
9月，Merge Labs与美国医疗器械公司Butterfly Network合作开发该技术，该公司的联合创始人包括OpenAI的萨姆·奥尔特曼和加利福尼亚理工学院生物工程师米哈伊尔·夏皮罗。
In September, Merge Labs, whose co-founders include OpenAI’s Sam Altman and California Institute of Technology bioengineer Mikhail Shapiro, partnered with US medical device firm Butterfly Network to develop the technology.
Merge表示，其正在探索如何利用分子技术和超声波与神经元进行交流。
Merge said it was exploring how molecular technologies and ultrasound could be used to communicate with neurons.