Researchers from Tel Aviv University and Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center have achieved a groundbreaking milestone in the field of neuroscience and communication technology. They have successfully demonstrated the ability to generate speech from a silent person using only the power of thought, marking a significant step towards developing brain-computer interfaces for voluntary communication.
The experiment involved an epilepsy patient who had depth electrodes implanted in his brain as part of his treatment. These electrodes, originally intended to locate the source of epileptic seizures, provided a unique opportunity for researchers to access and study the electrical activity of a living human brain.
Dr. Ariel Tankus, the lead researcher from Tel Aviv University’s School of Medical and Health Sciences, explained the process: “The patient in the study is an epilepsy patient who was hospitalized in order to undergo resection of the epileptic focus in his brain. In order to do this, of course, you need to locate the focal point, which is the source of the ‘short’ that sends powerful electrical waves through the brain.”
The experiment was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, the patient was asked to vocalize two syllables, /a/ and /e/, while the researchers recorded the associated brain activity. Using advanced deep learning and machine learning techniques, they trained artificial intelligence models to identify the specific brain cells whose electrical activity corresponded to the desire to say these syllables.
In the second stage, the patient was instructed to merely imagine saying the syllables /a/ and /e/ without actually vocalizing them. The computer, having learned to recognize the patterns of electrical activity associated with these syllables, successfully translated the brain signals into pre-recorded sounds of /a/ or /e/.
Dr. Tankus highlighted the significance of this achievement: “In this experiment, for the first time in history, we were able to connect the parts of speech to the activity of individual cells from the regions of the brain from which we recorded. This allowed us to distinguish between the electrical signals that represent the sounds /a/ and /e/.”
While the current research is limited to two syllables, it represents a crucial breakthrough in the field of brain-computer interfaces. The implications of this technology are far-reaching, particularly for individuals suffering from conditions that lead to complete paralysis, such as ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), brainstem stroke, or severe brain injuries.
The potential applications of this technology are numerous. Even with just two syllables, it could enable fully paralyzed individuals to communicate basic “yes” or “no” responses. Dr. Tankus envisions future scenarios where the technology could be personalized for patients: “For example, in the future it will be possible to train a computer for an ALS patient in the early stages of the disease, while they can still speak. The computer would learn to recognize the electrical signals in the patient’s brain, enabling it to interpret these signals even after the patient loses the ability to move their muscles.”
The study, published in the journal Neurosurgery, represents a significant step towards developing a brain-computer interface that can replace the brain’s control pathways for speech production. It offers hope that in the future, individuals who are completely paralyzed may regain the ability to verbally communicate with their surroundings.
This article is based on information from Neurosurgery. Read the original article.
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