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Brain Implants Help Paralyzed Individuals Regain Movement and Speech
· Confirmed
In Short: In a groundbreaking study, brain implants are helping paralyzed individuals regain movement and speech, marking a significant step in neurotechnology.
In a pioneering study published in July, researchers at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research developed a brain-body interface (BBI) that helped Keith Thomas, a quadriplegic participant, regain the ability to grasp objects, feed himself, and feel his dog’s fur again.
The BBI, described as a hybrid system that stimulates both the spinal cord and the brain to restore movement and sensation, was first tested on Thomas about a year after his injury.
Casey Harrell, who lost his voice to ALS, is another beneficiary of this technology. Harrell’s synthetic voice, created using artificial intelligence, was understood by volunteers at a rate of 60%, compared to just 4% when he tried speaking unaided.
The system uses AI to recreate speech directly from the brain’s motor signals, marking a significant advancement in brain-computer interface (BCI) technology.
According to Chad Bouton, who heads the Feinstein team, the technology is a 'full bridge from the brain to the body,' allowing for real-time communication and interaction.
Sergey Stavisky, a neuroscientist and neural engineer at UC Davis, noted that the field of BCI technology has seen significant progress due to advances in computing power and AI, as well as investments from neurotechnology companies.
Matthew Willsey, a neurosurgeon and biomedical engineer at the University of Michigan, recently implanted a new type of speech interface in a woman’s brain, highlighting the growing excitement and hope in the field.
The technology could get those with ALS, Parkinson’s disease, and brain injuries 'talking' again, according to Stavisky.
Christian Herff, a computational neuroscientist at Maastricht University, described the technology as 'the holy grail in speech BCIs,' while Silvia Marchesotti, a neuroengineer at the University of Geneva, called it 'a paradigm shift.'
The research not only helps individuals regain movement but also restores a sense of touch that persists even after the devices are switched off, significantly improving their quality of life.
What's confirmed
- In a study published in July, researchers reported that their system could do more than translate Thomas’s thoughts into movement: By stimulating both the brain and spinal cord, it also helped him regain some movement and sensation below his injury—including a sense of touch that persisted after the devices were switched off.
- “We’re creating the full bridge from the brain to the body,” he says.
- Chad Bouton, who heads the Feinstein team, describes the technology as “a hybrid system that stimulates both the spinal cord and the brain to restore movement and sensation.” He calls it a brain-body interface, or BBI, because a brain-computer interface is only one part of it.
- About a year after his injury, Thomas became the first patient in a pioneering long-term study at New York’s Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research that used a complex brain-computer interface (BCI) system to test whether they could restore some of that lost function.
- “This has really started as early as the 1950s, the first time scientists put electrodes into brains to record neural activity,” says Sergey Stavisky, a neuroscientist and neural engineer at UC Davis.
- Advances in computing power and AI, lessons gleaned from patient experience and investments from neurotechnology companies are starting to yield real progress on brain-computer interfaces for people who can no longer talk.
- Now, a brain implant is helping him speak again—in his own voice, with real-time emotion and tone.
- Volunteers listening to Harrell’s synthetic voice understood 60% of what he said—compared to just 4% when he tried speaking unaided.
- The system, described this week in Nature, uses artificial intelligence to recreate speech directly from the brain’s motor signals.
- Neuralink developed a chat application that listens to conversations and suggests real-time responses using Smith’s AI-generated voice to enhance communication speed further.
- OpenAI’s venture capital arm as well as Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund are investing in Coherence Neuro, a startup developing a brain implant to detect and treat cancer.
- Merge Labs came out of stealth with $252 million in initial funding to pursue ultrasound technology that can decode information from the brain.
What's still developing
- The transcript tells the story of our conversation.
- As the neural connections between Harrell’s brain and body began to falter, he gradually lost his ability to move his muscles, leaving him confined to his bed or a wheelchair.
- Then he lost his voice to ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).
- Before receiving the implant, Smith was completely paralyzed and relied on a ventilator, using an eye-gaze control system to communicate—an inefficient and time-consuming method.
- His original voice was also cloned using AI, enabling him to speak through a synthesized version of his past voice.
- Wireless Brain Implant Has Enabled Paralyzed Primates To Walk Again The implant involves replacing a small section of the skull with a chip, with threads delicately inserted a few millimeters into the brain.
- Smith is the third person globally to receive the implant and the first non-verbal ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) patient who can now express himself through AI-driven brain-computer interface (BCI) technology.
- With the Neuralink brain implant, he can now control a computer cursor using his brain signals, allowing faster and more flexible interaction.
- He also made and posted a video on YouTube using the brain-computer interface to control the mouse on his MacBook Pro.
- "I could see where it might be advantageous to the provider," she said.
- Chinese companies are racing to develop and deploy artificial-intelligence powered brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) that can help people to move, speak and control devices.
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