Brain

Researchers

1) Recent advances in neuroscience enable doctors to manipulate the
workings of the brain and intervene to treat some neurological disorders.
How far should researchers go in their quest to understand this complex
organ and improve people's quality of life, and to what extent should they be
responsible for making sure that others do not misuse their findings are
questionings that must be answered. Dr. Vincent Walsh, a professor of
cognitive neuroscience at University College London, has discussed the use of
non-invasive brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial direct current
stimulation (TDCS).
2) Studies published in the past few years purport to show that some brain
stimulation techniques can enhance a variety of brain functions, such as
memory, numeracy, and language learning. For example, cheap brain
stimulation devices are now available commercially, making it possible for
anyone to attempt to boost their brain function. Although the only indication
showing relatively solid evidence of improvement with brain stimulation
devices is depression, smaller studies looking at cognitive improvement
appear to have been the key drivers of increased interest among researchers
and the lay public in the technology's potential.
3) Dr. Walsh questioned the reliability of these findings. "We're at a stage
where the quality control of these brain studies has become very poor," he
said. "There are some very bold claims, but there isn't a single significant
replication between laboratories. One of the most highly cited paper in the
field comes from my own laboratory, and I've twice failed to replicate it
myself," said Dr. Walsh. He also pointed out that brain enhancement effects
seen under laboratory conditions are unlikely to transfer to our daily lives.
"The enhancement effects seen in the laboratory are significant and
meaningful, but there are no significant demonstrations of them in real-world
situations."
4) "We are no longer in control of what stories the general public hears about
our research data on brain stimulation," added Walsh. "They can decide
which papers are worth listening to before any scientific consensus has been
reached, so we have a duty to be much more measured in the claims we
make." Walsh thinks that brain stimulation should not be used to enhance
performance in sports, education, or other realms. "You don't get good at
anything with a short-term fix, but with years of training and judgment. If we
allow cognitive enhancement into education then we lose the whole idea of
what education is about." Clinical neuropsychologist Barbara Sahakian of the
University of Cambridge said that brain enhancement may be desirable in
certain situations. "We may want to enhance military personnel in a war
situation, or doctors who are working late at night, to keep them awake and
alert."
5) Now, how far should researchers go to understand the humans brain? Dr.
Itzhak Fried, a professor of neurosurgery and psychiatry at the University of
California has discussed the ethics of performing experiments on people with
epilepsy during brain surgery. Most epileptic patients respond well to
anticonvulsant drugs, but in the minority who do not, surgery is performed as
a last resort. Using a technique pioneered by Wilder Penfield in the 1930s,
surgeons can use electrodes to identify and remove the brain tissue
producing the seizures while the patient is fully conscious. After placing the
electrodes onto the brain surface, the surgeon has to wait, sometimes for
many days, for the patient to have a seizure. This provides the rare
opportunity to study the brain directly. "We are very privileged to be able to
do this, but it raises serious ethical issues," said Dr. Fried. Surgery is perfectly
justified, he explained, but performing experiments is not-while it may
provide some insight into how the brain works, it is of no benefit whatsoever
to the patient.
6) All members of Fried's neurosurgery program are required to examine and
adhere to the Belmont Report, which sets out ethical principles and
guidelines for the protection of study participants. The three principles
outlined in the report are: respect- in all cases, researchers must protect
patients' autonomy, treat them with the utmost courtesy and respect, and
only enroll them in such studies after informed consent; beneficence-
researchers must maximize the benefits of their experiments, while at the
same time avoiding at all costs causing harm to the participants; and, justice-
researchers must ensure that their experiments are designed well and that
their procedures are safe, non-exploitative, and administered fairly. "When
we prolong the operative time, we may cause patient discomfort and injury to
the brain tissue, so we have a special responsibility to do good science and
ask good questions," says Fried.

Glossary

To purport: supor, pretender
To boost: aumentar
Reliability: confiabilidade
Worth: que vale a pena
Seizures: convulses
To enroll: increver

1) Escolha a alternativa que traz a ideia principal do trecho abaixo,
extrado do pargrafo 2.

Although the only indication showing relatively solid evidence of
improvement with brain stimulation devices is depression, smaller
studies looking at cognitive improvement appear to have been the
key drivers of increased interest among researchers and the lay
public in the technology's potential.

a) No existem evidncias concretas de que o aparelho de estmulo
cerebral aumente a capacidade cognitiva.
b) O aparelho de estimulao cerebral tem chamado a ateno de
pesquisadores e do pblico pelo seu potencial tecnolgico.
c) Estudos sobre aumento cognitivo com estimulao cerebral tm
levado pesquisadores e leigos a se interessarem pela tcnica.
d) Existem evidncias de que o aparelho usado para estimulao
cerebrais pode aumentar a depresso.
e) Embora o aparelho de estimulao cerebral tenha gerado interesse,
mais estudos precisam ser feitos para comprovar seus benefcios.

2) De acordo com o texto, o que se pode afirmar sobre a
estimulao cerebral?

a) Aparelhos de estmulo cerebral esto sendo utilizados com sucesso
no tratamento da depresso, insnia, e dor crnica.
b) Estudos comprovam que algumas tcnicas de estimulao cerebral
podem melhorar funes cerebrais como a memria e habilidades
matemticas.
c) J existem estudos concretos que comprovam os benefcios da
estimulao cerebral no aprendizado.
d) Pesquisadores acreditam que os atletas fazem parte do grupo de
pessoas que pode se beneficiar com a estimulao cerebral.
e) Segundo um pesquisador do assunto, a estimulao cerebral no
deveria ser usada para melhorar o desempenho escolar.




3) Escolha a alternativa que traz a ideia principal do trecho abaixo,
extrado do pargrafo 4.

"We are no longer in control of what stories the general public hears
about our research data on brain stimulation," added Walsh. "They
can decide which papers are worth listening to before any scientific
consensus has been reached, so we have a duty to be much more
measured in the claims we make."

a) Os pesquisadores no podem se responsabilizar pelos resultados de
suas pesquisas sobre estimulao cerebral.
b) As histrias que o pblico ouve sobre estimulao cerebral nem
sempre so reais.
c) Pesquisadores precisam ter mais cuidado com as alegaes que fazem
sobre estimulao cerebral.
d) Falta consenso cientfico entre pesquisadores sobre os resultados das
pesquisas sobre estimulao cerebral.
e) Pesquisadores precisam ter mais cuidado com o que o pblico em
geral ouve sobre estimulao cerebral.

4) O que pode ser inferido do pargrafo 5?

a) Pessoas com epilepsia devem ser poupadas de estudos sobre o
crebro caso no haja benefcios para o paciente.
b) Aproveitar para estudar o crebro de pessoas com epilepsia durante
cirurgia eticamente questionvel, pois no traz benefcios para o
paciente.
c) Pesquisadores devem levar em considerao que cirurgias em
crebro de epilticos podem trazer muitos riscos para o paciente.
d) uma oportunidade rara para neurocirurgies estudar o crebro de
um epilptico durante cirurgia.
e) Pesquisadores neurocirurgies devem aproveitar toda e qualquer
oportunidade para estudar o crebro.





5) A qual das alternativas abaixo se refere o pronome them
(pargrafo 6)?

a) The three principles
b) Report
c) Researchers
d) Autonomy
e) Patients

6) Na frase:(...) researchers must ensure that their experiments
are designed well and that their procedures are safe, non-
exploitative, and administered fairly (pargrafo 6), a palavra
ensure tem o sentido de:

a) Prevenir
b) Promover
c) Recusar
d) Assegurar
e) Substituir

7) Qual a ideia central do artigo?

a) Os perigos do uso indiscriminado de aparelhos de estimulao
cerebral.
b) Pesquisadores em neurocincia falam sobre os novos tratamentos e
tcnicas utilizadas para melhorar as funes cerebrais.
c)Avanos na rea da neurocincia levantam questes ticas sobre os
mtodos de pesquisas sobre o crebro e a confiabilidade dos resultados.
d) Com a inteno de melhorar a qualidade de vida das pessoas,
pesquisadores investem na neurocincia.
e) O aperfeioamento das tcnicas de estimulao cerebral pode trazer
benefcios para vrios grupos de pessoas.






8) Em qual pargrafo citado que a estimulao cerebral pode no
ser desejvel em certas situaes?

a) pargrafo 1
b) pargrafo 2
c) pargrafo 3
d) pargrafo 4
e) pargrafo 5 ou 6

As prximas questes so baseadas no trecho abaixo, extrado do
pargrafo 1.

Recent advances in neuroscience enable doctors to manipulate the
workings of the brain and intervene to treat some neurological
disorders. How far should researchers go in their quest to
understand this complex organ and improve people's quality of life,
and to what extent should they be responsible for making sure that
others do not misuse their findings, are questionings that must be
addressed. Vincent Walsh, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at
University College London, has discussed the use of non-invasive
brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial direct current
stimulation (TDCS).
















9) A qual das alternativas abaixo se refere o pronome they no
trecho abaixo?

Recent advances in neuroscience enable doctors to manipulate the
workings of the brain and intervene to treat some neurological
disorders. How far should researchers go in their quest to
understand this complex organ and improve people's quality of life,
and to what extent should they be responsible for making sure that
others do not misuse their findings, are questionings that must be
addressed.


a) Neuroscience
b) Doctors
c) Neurological disorders
d) Researchers
e) People

10) Na frase How far should researchers go in their quest to
understand this complex organ and improve people's quality of life,
and to what extent should they be responsible for making sure that
others do not misuse their findings, are questionings that must be
addressed, a palavramisuse tem o sentido de:

a) Reutilizar
b) Promover
c) Aumentar o uso indevidamente
d) Ignorar
e) Fazer uso indevido










11) O que pode ser inferido do trecho abaixo?

Recent advances in neuroscience enable doctors to manipulate the
workings of the brain and intervene to treat some neurological
disorders. How far should researchers go in their quest to
understand this complex organ and improve people's quality of life,
and to what extent should they be responsible for making sure that
others do not misuse their findings, are questionings that must be
addressed. Vincent Walsh, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at
University College London, has discussed the use of non-invasive
brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial direct current
stimulation (TDCS).

a) Os pesquisadores precisam avaliar at onde devem ir em suas
pesquisas sobre o crebro e nos tratamentos dos distrbios
neurolgicos.
b) O professor Vincent Walsh no est satisfeito com os resultados das
tcnicas de estimulao cerebral.
c) Mesmo com os avanos em neurocincia, pesquisadores no
conseguem intervir para tratar alguns distrbios neurolgicos.
d) A cincia tem sido incapaz de entender e manipular as funes
cerebrais e propor tratamentos para distrbios neurolgicos .
e) Pesquisadores precisam ser mais responsveis com a divulgao de
novos tratamentos para alguns distrbios neurolgicos.

As prximas questes so baseadas no trecho abaixo, extrado do
pargrafo 3.

"We're at a stage where the quality control of these brain studies has
become very poor," he said. "There are some very bold claims, but
there isn't a single significant replication between laboratories. One
of the most highly cited paper in the field comes from my own
laboratory, and I've twice failed to replicate it myself,"said Dr.
Walsh. He also pointed out that brain enhancement effects seen
under laboratory conditions are unlikely to transfer to our daily
lives. "The enhancement effects seen in the laboratory are significant
and meaningful, [but] there are no significant demonstrations of
them in real-world situations."


12) Assinale a alternativa que traz a ideia principal do trecho
abaixo:

"We're at a stage where the quality control of these brain studies has
become very poor," he said. "There are some very bold claims, but
there isn't a single significant replication between laboratories. One
of the most highly cited paper in the field comes from my own
laboratory, and I've twice failed to replicate it myself, "said Dr.
Walsh.

a) Estudos sobre o crebro devem ser replicados em laboratrios onde o
controle de qualidade ruim.
b) Apenas o laboratrio do Dr. Walsh consegue replicar estudos de
outros laboratrios sobre o crebro.
c) Falta controle de qualidade nos laboratrios que tentam replicar
estudos sobre o crebro.
d) Dr. Walsh foi o nico que no conseguiu replicar o estudo sobre o
crebro.
e) Por causa do controle de qualidade ruim, muitos laboratrios no
conseguem replicar os estudos sobre o crebro.

13) A qual das alternativas se refere o pronome it no trecho
abaixo?

"We're at a stage where the quality control of these brain studies has
become very poor," he said. "There are some very bold claims, but
there isn't a single significant replication between laboratories. One
of the most highly cited paper in the field comes from my own
laboratory, and I've twice failed to replicate it myself," said Dr.
Walsh.

a) Quality control
b) Brain studies
c) Laboratory
d) Paper
e) Field

14) Escolha a alternativa que traz o sentido correto do grupo
nominal abaixo:

()no significant demonstrations of them in real-world situations.

a) Nenhum significado nas situaes reais das demonstraes deles do
mundo
b) Nenhuma demonstrao significativa deles em situaes do mundo
real.
c) Situaes do mundo real deles sem demonstraes significativas.
d) Sem situaes significativas o mundo real deles no demonstram
nada.
e) O mundo real das situaes deles nas demonstraes no
significativas.

15) Na frase: Dr. Walsh also pointed out that brain enhancement
effects seen under laboratory conditions are unlikely to transfer to
our daily lives, a palavra unlikely tem o sentido de:

a) Incomuns
b) Desagradveis
c) Adequadas
d) Improvveis
e) Exigidas