Recruitment
This study is intended for participants who have limited or no ability to use speech and have an interest in advancing science and technology.
In order to participate in this study you must
Have limited use of your upper extremities due to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis, cervical spinal cord injury, brainstem stroke, muscular dystrophy, myopathy or severe neuropathy
Live within a two hour drive of University of California, San Francisco
This study involves brain surgery for placement of the BCI device and involves risks typically associated with surgery. The research team will explain these risks to you.
The placement of this BCI device is temporary, and will be removed with exit from the study, so this study is not intended to provide any direct benefit to you. This is a safety and feasibility study. Your involvement could help produce systems which will help restore speech and arm movement for future disabled individuals.
If this study interests you, please reach out to us and we can schedule a time to meet. We will review all of the study details and give you an opportunity to ask any questions.
What are Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI)?
A brain-computer interface (BCI) is a computer system which acquires brain signals and translates them to perform a desired action. No movement or vocalization is required to control a BCI device. Researchers are studying ways to improve the rate at which BCIs are able to acquire and translate brain signals to control external devices, including engineering advanced devices and developing powerful decoding algorithms.
What is BRAVO?
Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Restoration of Arm and Voice (BRAVO)
Physicians and researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and the University of California, Berkeley are working to develop a BCI for disabled individuals. Specifically, we are evaluating the potential of electrocorticography (ECoG), a neural recording methodology that enables recording of electrical activity on the surface of the brain, and advanced computational algorithms for speech and movement restoration.
Eligible participants in this study will receive a BCI implant around the size of a credit card, placed over areas of the brain that control speaking and movement of the arms and hands. By placing the device on this speech-motor region of the brain, we can acquire brain signals which would normally produce actual body movements. When the computer receives these signals, we can use customized decoding techniques to control a communication device, a robotic arm, and other assistive devices.
If you are enrolled into this study, you will undergo brain surgery for placement of the BCI device. Following device placement and surgical recovery, you will begin to participate in recording sessions with the research team. These visits can take place in your home and will be done on a schedule that works for you. During each recording session, the BCI device will be connected to external processing hardware, and the researchers will ask you to participate in tasks to collect data and control the devices.
If enrolled, you may withdraw from this study at any time. You can participate in this study for a maximum of five years. When you withdraw from this study, the device will be surgically removed.
All study-related activities (surgery, study visits, follow up visits, hospital care) will be provided at no cost to you or your insurer.
Interested in learning more?
Cady Kurtz-Miott
Email: cady.kurtz-miott@ucsf.edu