Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Restoration of Arm and Voice (BRAVO) Clinical Trial 

Paralysis causes severe movement impairment, including the loss of the ability to articulate speech. Over the last decade, scientists have shown that individuals with paralysis can control external computers or prosthetics using brain-computer interface (BCI) devices. These achievements are noteworthy, but most of the existing approaches are controlled by imagined hand or arm movements.

Because speech is the most efficient, expressive, and natural way that people typically communicate, we believe that enabling control of assistive interfaces using natural attempts to speak is the ultimate goal for communication neurotechnology. With this goal in mind, we recently showed that full words could be decoded from brain activity in the speech-motor cortex (the part of the brain that normally controls the vocal tract) of a person with severe limb and vocal-tract paralysis as that person attempted to speak.

This is the first demonstration to show that information-rich neural activity patterns can persist in the speech-motor cortex of a person who has not been able to speak naturally for over a decade, a promising finding for the future of speech-controlled assistive neurotechnology. This work was done as part of an FDA-monitored clinical trial in which we are evaluating the potential of electrocorticography (ECoG) to enable long-term communication and mobility restoration. To learn more visit this news article.

If you have limited or no ability to use speech, you may be eligible to participate in our clinical trial. Please visit Recruitment to learn more!