Device Uses Brain Waves of Paralyzed Man to Help Him Communicate
2021-07-17
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1Researchers say they have used brain waves of a paralyzed man who cannot speak to produce words from his thoughts onto a computer.
2A team led by Dr. Edward Chang at the University of California, San Francisco, carried out the experiment.
3The study results were published July 15 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
4"Most of us take for granted how easily we communicate through speech," Chang told The Associated Press.
5"It's exciting to think we're at the very beginning of a new chapter, a new field" to ease the difficulties of patients who lost that ability.
6The researchers admit that such communication methods for paralysis victims will require years of additional research.
7But, they say the new study marks an important step forward.
8Today, paralysis victims who cannot speak or write have very limited ways of communicating.
9For example, the man in the experiment used a pointer attached to a hat that lets him move his head to touch words or letters on a screen.
10Other devices can pick up a person's eye movements.
11But such methods are slow and a very limited replacement for speech.
12Using brain signals to work around disabilities is currently a hot field of study.
13In recent years, experiments with mind-controlled prosthetics have permitted paralyzed individuals to shake hands with someone or take a drink using a robotic arm.
14The process involves people imagining movements and those brain signals are sent through a computer to the prosthetic.
15Chang's team built their experiment on earlier work.
16They developed a method called "speech neuroprosthetic."
17The process uses brain waves that normally control the vocal tract, or voice system.
18This includes the small muscle movements of the lips, jaw, tongue and larynx that form each consonant and vowel.
19The person who volunteered to test the device was a man in his late 30s.
20He suffered a brain-stem stroke 15 years ago that caused widespread paralysis and left him unable to speak.
21The researchers implanted electrodes on the surface of the man's brain, over the area that controls speech.
22A computer observed the patterns when he attempted to say common words such as "water" or "good."
23Over time, the computer became able to differentiate between 50 words that could form more than 1,000 sentences.
24Repeatedly given questions such as "How are you today?" or "Are you thirsty," the device enabled the man to answer "I am very good" or "No, I am not thirsty."
25The words were not voiced, but were turned into text on the computer.
26It takes about three to four seconds for a word to appear after the man tries to say it, said the study's lead writer, David Moses.
27He is an engineer in Chang's laboratory.
28While that rate is not nearly as fast as speaking, it is quicker than current methods.
29In an opinion article published with the study, Harvard brain doctors Leigh Hochberg and Sydney Cash called the work a "pioneering demonstration."
30The two doctors said the technology might one day help people with injuries, strokes or diseases like Lou Gehrig's.
31People with such diseases have brains that "prepare messages for delivery, but those messages are trapped," they wrote.
32The researchers say their next steps will include seeking ways to improve the device's speed, correctness and vocabulary size.
33They also plan to one day develop a computer-produced voice that could replace text on a computer.
34I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Researchers say they have used brain waves of a paralyzed man who cannot speak to produce words from his thoughts onto a computer. 2A team led by Dr. Edward Chang at the University of California, San Francisco, carried out the experiment. The study results were published July 15 in the New England Journal of Medicine. 3"Most of us take for granted how easily we communicate through speech," Chang told The Associated Press. "It's exciting to think we're at the very beginning of a new chapter, a new field" to ease the difficulties of patients who lost that ability. 4The researchers admit that such communication methods for paralysis victims will require years of additional research. But, they say the new study marks an important step forward. 5Today, paralysis victims who cannot speak or write have very limited ways of communicating. For example, the man in the experiment used a pointer attached to a hat that lets him move his head to touch words or letters on a screen. Other devices can pick up a person's eye movements. But such methods are slow and a very limited replacement for speech. 6Using brain signals to work around disabilities is currently a hot field of study. In recent years, experiments with mind-controlled prosthetics have permitted paralyzed individuals to shake hands with someone or take a drink using a robotic arm. The process involves people imagining movements and those brain signals are sent through a computer to the prosthetic. 7Chang's team built their experiment on earlier work. They developed a method called "speech neuroprosthetic." The process uses brain waves that normally control the vocal tract, or voice system. This includes the small muscle movements of the lips, jaw, tongue and larynx that form each consonant and vowel. 8The person who volunteered to test the device was a man in his late 30s. He suffered a brain-stem stroke 15 years ago that caused widespread paralysis and left him unable to speak. 9The researchers implanted electrodes on the surface of the man's brain, over the area that controls speech. A computer observed the patterns when he attempted to say common words such as "water" or "good." Over time, the computer became able to differentiate between 50 words that could form more than 1,000 sentences. 10Repeatedly given questions such as "How are you today?" or "Are you thirsty," the device enabled the man to answer "I am very good" or "No, I am not thirsty." The words were not voiced, but were turned into text on the computer. 11It takes about three to four seconds for a word to appear after the man tries to say it, said the study's lead writer, David Moses. He is an engineer in Chang's laboratory. While that rate is not nearly as fast as speaking, it is quicker than current methods. 12In an opinion article published with the study, Harvard brain doctors Leigh Hochberg and Sydney Cash called the work a "pioneering demonstration." 13The two doctors said the technology might one day help people with injuries, strokes or diseases like Lou Gehrig's. People with such diseases have brains that "prepare messages for delivery, but those messages are trapped," they wrote. 14The researchers say their next steps will include seeking ways to improve the device's speed, correctness and vocabulary size. They also plan to one day develop a computer-produced voice that could replace text on a computer. 15I'm Bryan Lynn. 16The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 17______________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19paralyzed - adj. unable to move or feel a part of the body 20take for granted - phr. To value something too lightly 21prosthetic - n. an artificial device that replaces a missing or injured part of the body 22stroke - n. a sudden problem in the brain that changes the flow of blood and makes you unable to move part of your body 23pattern - n. a particular way that something is often done or repeated 24pioneer - n. a person who helps create or develop new ideas, methods 25deliver - v. to carry or send from one place to another