What exactly happens in the heart when it's flooded with too much adrenaline?

那當心臟里的腎上腺素太多的時候到底心臟里發生了什么？

Adrenaline from the nervous system lands on receptors of cardiac myocytes (heart-muscle cells), and this causes calcium channels in the membranes of those cells to open. Calcium ions rush into the heart cells and this causes the heart muscle to contract. If it's a massive overwhelming storm of adrenaline, calcium keeps pouring into the cells and the muscle just can't relax.

神經系統的腎上腺素到達心肌細胞的感覺器官，會引起這些細胞上面的鈣通道打開。鈣涌向心臟細胞并引起心肌收縮。如果是巨多的腎上腺素，鈣涌向這些細胞，肌肉就不能放松了。

There is this specially adapted system of muscle and nerve tissue in the heart—the sinoatrial (SA) node, the atrioventricular node, and the Purkinje fibers—which sets the rhythm of the heart. If this system is overwhelmed with adrenaline, the heart can go into abnormal rhythms that are not compatible with life. If one of those is triggered, you will drop dead.

心臟中一般有肌肉調節系統和神經組織----竇房結，房室結，和浦肯雅纖維----這些控制著心率。如果這個系統里的腎上腺素太多，心臟就會出現不適應生命的非正常心率。如果這三個當中有一個不正常，人就會死亡。

What is an example of one of these deadly heart rhythms?

由心率致死的例子是什么？

In most cases, it's probably ventricular fibrillation that causes these sudden deaths from fear. Ventricular fibrillation basically causes the ventricles (lower chambers of the heart) to vibrate in a way that hampers their ability to deliver blood to the body.

在大多數情況下，可能是心室顫動引起人在恐懼中暴亡。心室顫動從根本上引起心室以一種方式震動，阻礙了血液向身體供血的能力。----

What other emotional states besides fear could lead to these fatal heart rhythms?

除了因恐懼引起致命的心率問題之外還有其他情緒原因嗎?

Any strong positive or negative emotions such as happiness or sadness. There are people who have died in intercourse or in religious passion. There was a case of a golfer who hit a hole in one, turned to his partner and said, "I can die now"—and then he dropped dead. A study in Germany found an increase of sudden cardiac deaths on the days that the German soccer team was playing in the World Cup. For about seven days after the 9/11 terrorists attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon there was an increase of sudden cardiac death among New Yorkers.

任何強烈的正面的或者負面的情緒比如幸福或者悲傷（都會引起心率問題）。有人死于性交中或者宗教激情中。有個案例說一個高爾夫球員一桿進洞之后，轉身告訴他的同伴說：“我開心死了”——隨后便扔掉球桿死掉了。一向在德國的研究發現德國足球隊在世界杯比賽的幾天里因心臟原因暴亡的人數增加了。在9.11恐怖襲擊世貿大樓和五角大樓之后的7天里，在紐約人中因心臟問題暴亡的人數增多了。

Who is most likely to suffer from sudden death?

什么樣的人最有可能遭遇暴亡？

A predisposition to heart disease would probably increase your risk of sudden death, but it happens at all ages and can happen to otherwise healthy people.

易患心臟疾病的體質可能會增加暴亡的危險，并且在任何年齡段都可能發生，并且會因其他原因發生在健康的人身上。

Vocabulary：

Elude：逃避

Cop：（口語）警察

Botched：糟糕的；搞砸的

Fugitive：逃亡的

Prosecutor：檢察官

Felony：重罪

Neurology：神經（病）學

Physiology：生理學

Dilate: 放大

Pupil: 瞳孔

Jaguar: 美洲豹

Primitive: 原始的

Rev up: 增大；提高

Hormone: 荷爾蒙

Adrenaline: 腎上腺激素

Neurotransmitter: 神經遞質

Visceral: 內臟的

Receptor: 受體

Cardiac: 心臟的

Myocyte: 肌細胞

Sinoatrial: 竇房的

Atrioventricular: 心房與心室的

Ventricle: 心室

Predisposition: 傾向性

（來源：天星教育網 實習生許雅寧 英語點津Yvonne編輯）

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