Helping people who can't speak communicate using a brain implant
Understanding and restoring speech production using an intracortical brain-computer interface
['FUNDING_OTHER'] · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · NIH-11212346
This project develops a small brain implant that reads speech-related brain signals so people who have lost the ability to speak can communicate through a computer.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_OTHER'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (DAVIS, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11212346 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
You would enroll through the BrainGate2 clinical trial and receive small, chronic microelectrode arrays placed in two speech-related brain areas (ventral precentral gyrus and superior temporal gyrus). The device records action-potential–level signals from hundreds of individual neurons while you attempt or produce speech, and researchers will decode those signals in real time to generate words on a computer. By comparing neural spike patterns with attempted or recorded speech, the team aims to understand how brain networks produce speech and to translate that knowledge into faster, more fluent communication. The implants are monitored over time to refine the decoding algorithms and to check safety.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults with paralysis who have lost or are actively losing speech and who are medically able and willing to undergo neurosurgery and repeated in-person testing.
Not a fit: People who can speak normally, those who are not surgical candidates, or those with medical issues preventing follow-up are unlikely to benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could restore fluent computer-based communication for people who have lost the ability to speak.
How similar studies have performed: Prior BrainGate and other intracortical BCI work has enabled cursor control, spelling, and early speech-decoding results, but fully fluent speech decoding remains experimental.
Where this research is happening
DAVIS, UNITED STATES
- UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS — DAVIS, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: STAVISKY, SERGEY — UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS
- Study coordinator: STAVISKY, SERGEY
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.