Decoding Speech Using Brain-Computer Interfaces (dSPEECH)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Decoding Speech Using Brain-Computer Interfaces based on Intracranial Brain Signals (dSPEECH)
IRAS ID
321659
Contact name
Neil Barua
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
North Bristol NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 9 months, 0 days
Research summary
Many patients with late-stage neurodegenerative diseases such as motor neurone disease (MND) have impaired speech, or even complete loss of speech. Assistive communication devices for these patients do exist, but they are full of limitations. For instance, text-to-speech devices are slow, and sometimes physically demanding for the patient to use.
For these patients, using such devices can be frustrating because they do not allow for the full, fluent and natural communication that the patient had before development of their disease. As such, many patients are reluctant to use these assistive technologies to communicate with friends and loved ones. This leads to further frustration, and can even lead to the patient not wanting to speak anymore.
However, in recent years, there much progress has been made in the field of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). BCIs are devices that read the brain signal, and translate this into a command for an external device. This external device may be, for instance, a cursor on a computer screen: the user thinks for the cursor to go left, and it does. No movement is required from the user: only thought.
The same is achievable for speech: the user thinks of a word or phrase, and the external device can speak that word or phrase on behalf of the user.
This study (dSPEECH) aims to further develop BCIs for speech. You may have heard of text-to-speech technologies: dSPEECH aims to create brain-to-speech technologies, where only thought is required to give a voice back to patients who have lost theirs.
REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/PR/1435
Date of REC Opinion
8 Nov 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion