研究：長途駕駛會導致大腦退化

Driving for more than two hours a day negatively affects IQ levels, scientists have warned.
科學家警告稱，每日駕駛時間超過2小時會對智商產生消極影響。

In what might come as unwelcome news for middle-aged commuters, a recent study found that long periods behind the wheel could speed up the effects of age on the brain.
最近一項研究發現，長期駕車會加速大腦老化，這對中年通勤族而言並非好消息。

The researchers said that the results could be explained by the fact that the mind is less active on long car journeys.
研究人員表示，產生這一結果的原因可能是在長時間駕駛過程中，大腦不如往常活躍。

The mammoth project saw more than half a million Britons aged 37-73 studied over a period of five years.
這個規模龐大的研究項目在五年間觀察了超過50萬名37歲至73歲的英國人。

Out of these some 93,000 of them drove more than two or three hours a day.
他們中有約93000人每日駕駛時間超過兩三個小時。

Researchers found that not only did this proportion of subjects typically have lower brainpower to begin with but their IQ score declined more rapidly over the course of the study than those who did little or no driving.
研究人員發現，通常這部分研究對象不僅在一開始智商水平就偏低，而且研究期間他們的智商下降得比很少開車或不開車的研究對象快。

Kishan Bakrania, a medical epidemiologist at the University of Leicester, told The Sunday Times: 'We know that regularly driving for more than two or three hours a day is bad for your heart.
萊斯特大學的流行病學家齊山•巴克蘭尼亞告訴《星期日泰晤士報》：“我們知道每日駕駛時間經常超過兩三個小時對心臟有害。”

'This research suggests it is bad for your brain too, perhaps because your mind is less active in those hours.'
“這項研究表明，每日駕駛時間太長對大腦也有害，這可能是因爲大腦在駕車期間不如往常活躍。”

Previous studies have found that long periods of inactivity have a detrimental affect on brainpower and Dr Bakrania's research shows similar results for those who watched more than two hours of television a day.
以往的研究已經發現，大腦長時間不活躍會對智力造成不良影響。巴克蘭尼亞博士的研究表明，每日看電視時間超過兩個小時也會造成類似的後果。

But the study also found using computers actually boosted people's cognitive stills, leading the scientist to propose another potential factor for driving's negative effects.
但該研究也發現，使用電腦的確會提高人們的認知能力，這使得科學家們對長時間駕駛會產生負面影響的可能原因提出另一種解答。

'Driving causes stresses and fatigue, with studies showing the links between them and cognitive decline.'
“駕駛使人感到緊張和疲憊，研究顯示這兩者與認知水平下降有關。”