Machine Translates Thoughts into Speech in Real Time

[n2doc]

December 21, 2009 By Lisa Zyga


Model of the brain-machine interface for real-time synthetic speech production. The stroke-induced lesion (red X) disables speech output, but speech motor planning in the cerebral cortex remains intact. Signals collected from an electrode in the speech motor cortex are amplified and sent wirelessly across the scalp as FM radio signals. The Neuralynx System amplifies, converts, and sorts the signals. The neural decoder then translates the signals into speech commands for the speech synthesizer. Credit: Guenther, et al.

(PhysOrg.com) -- By implanting an electrode into the brain of a person with locked-in syndrome, scientists have demonstrated how to wirelessly transmit neural signals to a speech synthesizer. The "thought-to-speech" process takes about 50 milliseconds - the same amount of time for a non-paralyzed, neurologically intact person to speak their thoughts. The study marks the first successful demonstration of a permanently installed, wireless implant for real-time control of an external device.

The study is led by Frank Guenther of the Department of Cognitive and Neural Systems and the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at Boston University, as well as the Division of Health Science and Technology at Harvard University-Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The research team includes collaborators from Neural Signals, Inc., in Duluth, Georgia; StatsANC LLC in Buenos Aires, Argentina; the Georgia Tech Research Institute in Marietta, Georgia; the Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville, Georgia; and Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. The team published their results in a recent issue of PLoS ONE.
“The results of our study show that a brain-machine interface (BMI) user can control sound output directly, rather than having to use a (relatively slow) typing process,” Guenther told PhysOrg.com.

In their study, the researchers tested the technology on a 26-year-old male who had a brain stem stroke at age 16. The brain stem stroke caused a lesion between the volunteer’s motor neurons that carry out actions and the rest of the brain; while his consciousness and cognitive abilities are intact, he is paralyzed except for slow vertical movement of the eyes. The rare condition is called locked-in syndrome.

more:

http://www.physorg.com/news180620740.html

[silverweb]

1. WOW!

This is fantastic!

Locked-in syndrome is one of the most cruel things that can ever happen to a person, and this will help so very many people. Wonderful news.

[Odin2005]

2. This would be good for autistic people with Dyspraxia of Speech.

DoS is a neurological disorder interferes with the motor movements needed for talking.

[Indenturedebtor]

3. I imagine that it would depend on whether or not they were ever able to talk

and where in the neurological "chain" the disorder occurs. Neurological systems are developed through feedback. There are key developmental stages in neurological development in which different areas of the brain (including your sensory organs like your ears) start to "dance" with each other and build connections. When a person has developed these areas and suffers a traumatic brain injury it is possible to rebuild that functionality in no small part because the damaged region is still being "spoken to" by the areas that it used to coordinate with.

So for example if you suffered a stroke in your visual cortex new neurons (from stem cells) and existing neurons (from the surrounding area) might be recruited through chemical and electrical signaling by the surrounding undamaged tissues and the other neurons that this part of your brain used to converse with. The newly grown/recruited visually specialized neurons would tune themselves based on the input from your eyes and other visual processing systems.

If you had lacked eyes from birth however at the present time it is unlikely that even with implanted eyes you would ever be able to see.

This collective and feedback based functionality has a great deal to do with the fact that sensory deprivation tends to drive people insane and/or permanently impairs their cognitive function in a fairly short period of time.

[Posteritatis]

4. Or the locked-in

Which is probably the most terrifying condition a human can experience; anything that chips away at that is a godsend as far as I'm concerned.