Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
A man with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) who lost the ability to speak due to muscle paralysis successfully used a brain-computer interface system at home to communicate. This system offers a new tool for people unable to speak because of muscle impairments or paralysis.
Developed by an NIH-funded research team at the University of California, Davis, the device places electrodes on the brain's motor cortex, which controls speech and movement. These electrodes detect brain signals produced when the person attempts to speak, which are then decoded into words by computer programs.
Participants could select words from a vocabulary of 125,000 options displayed on a screen, and the system produced speech aloud using a synthesized version of the user's original voice. The system also allowed users to rate the accuracy of statements and make corrections by controlling a cursor with either brain activity or eye movements, instead of physical hand movement.
Casey Harrell, the first participant to use the device outside a laboratory, communicated at home with assistance from his wife and daughter. Researchers visited multiple times per week to set up the system and provide training. The findings, published in Nature Medicine, indicate progress toward practical communication tools for people with paralysis.