Name: 拉爾夫狗狗對科學和家庭的影響！ (Ralph the dog's impact on science and his family)
Uploaded: 2026-03-23T21:38:23.000Z
Duration: 6 min 6 s
Description: 【看影片學英語】數萬部 YouTube 影片，搭配英漢字典即點即查，輕鬆掌握單字發音與用法，長久累積看電影不必再看字幕。

This week on 60 Minutes we reported on the Dog Aging Project, a collaboration between dog owners, scientists,

這週在 60 Minutes，我們報導了 Dog Aging Project，這是由狗主人、科學家

and veterinarians to study dogs as they age.

和獸醫合作，研究狗狗隨著年齡增長的情況。

Over 50,000 have participated so far, some suffering from dementia.

到目前為止已有超過五萬隻狗參與，有些患有失智症。

And the scientists working on the initiative, they hope that they can unlock the secrets of a longer, healthier life for humans.

而參與這項計畫的科學家們，他們希望能夠解開人類更長壽、更健康生命的奧祕。

To understand human disease and to be able to intervene and even prevent human disease, we have to find the right model.

為了了解人類疾病，並能介入甚至預防人類疾病，我們必須找到合適的模型。

And in dogs we think we have a really unique opportunity.

而狗狗身上，我們認為有非常獨特的機會。

Dirk Keene is a neuropathologist from the University of Washington.

Dirk Keene 是華盛頓大學的神經病理學家。

He believes studying dogs with dementia can help scientists gain new insights into diseases like Alzheimer's in humans.

他相信研究失智症的狗狗，能幫助科學家們對阿茲海默症等人類疾病獲得新見解。

Keene showed us how similar dogs' brains are to ours.

Keene 讓我們看到狗狗的大腦和我們的大腦有多麼相似。

You can see the dog brain has the same frontal lobe, temporal lobe, occipital lobe.

你可以看到狗狗的大腦有相同的額葉、顳葉、枕葉。

It's the same basic shape as the human brain.

它和人類大腦的基本形狀是一樣的。

And it turns out that dementia changes brain size and structure in very similar ways in both humans and dogs.

結果發現，失智症在人類和狗狗身上，會以非常相似的方式改變大腦的大小和結構。

As disease kills off neurons, the brain shrinks and the space in the middle cavity enlarges.

隨著疾病殺死神經元，大腦會萎縮，中間的腔體空間會擴大。

I mean, it looks like something has completely fallen out here.

我的意思是，看起來好像這裡有東西整個掉出來了。

While reporting this story, we met the Rowe family, Tara, her husband Jason, their young daughter Eloise, and

在報導這個故事的過程中，我們認識了 Rowe 一家，包括 Tara、她的先生 Jason、他們的小女兒 Eloise，還有

In 2024, they noticed a change in Ralph's behavior.

在 2024 年，他們注意到 Ralph 的行為有些改變。

And just this last winter, he just couldn't calm down.

就在去年冬天，牠就是沒辦法平靜下來。

牠一直在踱步，還會像這樣大口喘氣。

and he wouldn't even realize that it was right in front of him.

牠甚至沒注意到冰塊就在牠面前。

It's almost like you've got to hand it right to him for it to click.

感覺好像得親手拿給牠，牠才會意識到。

Does he sort of wander around the house now?

牠現在會在屋子裡到處走動嗎？

In February 2025, Ralph took a cognitive test and was diagnosed with dementia.

在 2025 年 2 月，Ralph 進行了認知測試，並被診斷出失智症。

He was then enrolled in the Dog Aging Project.

What do you want to have Ralph in the study?

為什麼你想讓 Ralph 參與這項研究？

You know, Ralph can be a part of a study that helps figure out what could work for dementia in dogs.

你知道的，Ralph 可以參與一項研究，幫助找出對狗狗失智症有效的療法。

Let's get answers." And he seems like a really good candidate.

我們來找答案。」牠看起來是個很適合的對象。

We were there last year when comparative psychologist Evan McLean and veterinary neurologist Stephanie McGrath tested Ralph's memory.

去年，比較心理學家 Evan McLean 和獸醫神經學家 Stephanie McGrath 測試 Ralph 的記憶時，我們也在場。

In this test, Ralph is shown where a treat is hidden and seconds later allowed to go get it.

在這個測試中，Ralph 會被訓示零食藏在哪裡，幾秒後就可以去拿。

The first time, Ralph quickly forgot about the treat, wandered off,

第一次，Ralph 很快就忘了零食，跑開了，

and picked up a piece of lint off the floor.

The second time, he walked up to McLean and then walked away.

第二次，牠走到 McLean 前，然後又走開了。

The third time, he sniffed around and then wandered off again.

第三次，牠聞了聞，然後又跑開了。

What did you see with Ralph during his cognitive test?

在認知測試時，你看到 Ralph 有什麼狀況？

Well, so Ralph has clinically a more advanced form of dementia.

嗯，所以 Ralph 臨床上是比較嚴重的失智症。

Even when we showed him exactly where it was, he had trouble remembering.

即使我們明確訓示牠在哪裡，牠還是記不太起來。

We went with the Rowe family when Ralph had an MRI of his brain.

當 Ralph 進行腦部 MRI 時，我們和 Rowe 一家一起。

McGrath 和他們一起檢視了結果。

So this is Ralph's brain, and he has dementia.

所以這是 Ralph 的腦部，牠有失智症。

所以所有白色的部分都是液體。

So that's the fluid that bathes your brain.

所以那就是滋養你大腦的液體。

Normally, it should be kind of hard to see.

So it should be very scant, very hard to see, very subtle.

所以應該非常稀少，非常難看到，非常不明顯。

On Ralph's, you can see his brain has shrunken with the disease.

在 Ralph 的腦部，你可以看到牠的腦部因為疾病而萎縮了。

So as it shrinks, there's nothing left to do but fill in with fluids.

所以當它萎縮的時候，就只剩下液體可以填補了。

And you would see the same thing in human beings?

So you would see the same thing in human beings.

所以人類也會看到一樣的情況。

Is there anything you can do to help Ralph?

So that's what we're trying to understand.

所以這就是我們正在試圖瞭解的。

Right now, just like in humans with Alzheimer's disease, there's no broadly effective treatment available.

目前，就像人類罹患阿茲海默症一樣，並沒有廣泛有效的治療方法。

But we're trying to understand whether there's certain medications, lifestyle changes, other things that we can be doing that may help either slow down the disease or even prevent or improve the signs once they show up.

但我們正試圖瞭解是否有某些藥物、生活方式的改變，或其他我們可以做的事情，或許能幫助減緩疾病，甚至預防或改善症狀一出現。

Right now, in dogs, there's not much you can do to slow down the disease.

目前，在狗狗身上，我們還沒什麼辦法能減緩這個疾病。

Ralph 很可惜地在十二月過世了。

But after his death, scientists were able to learn more from him.

但在他過世後，科學家們能從他身上學到更多。

Julie Moreno, a molecular biologist from Colorado State University, helped conduct a pilot study of the drug rapamycin with 12 dogs, all with signs of dementia.

科羅拉多州立大學的分子生物學家 Julie Moreno 協助進行了一項針對 12 隻有失智症跡象的狗狗的 rapamycin 藥物試驗。

One group of dogs, including Ralph, were fed a pill containing rapamycin.

其中一組狗狗，包括 Ralph，服用了含有 rapamycin 的藥丸。