A new collaboration between two US universities aims to give stroke patients the ability to “speak” by detecting and interpreting brain signals, using the world’s smallest computers linked up to the world’s most biocompatible sensors.
The Marcus Foundation has announced a $29.7 million grant, led by Stanford University, that would benefit victims of aphasic stroke, who are often left struggling to communicate.
Damage to the brain impacts their ability to listen, write, read and speak, yet they retain their ability to understand others’ speech.
U-M researchers will lead the design and construction of an implantable, long-term brain computer interface.
Meanwhile, at Stanford, researchers will work with people who have had a stroke that impaired their ability to speak.
They will evaluate whether they can “decode” words from other parts of the brain that were not affected by the stroke.
Cindy Chestek is U-M professor of biomedical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science, and robotics.
She said: “The current electrode technology has been in use since the 1990s and it’s called the Utah array.
“It’s an implantable electrode that can last from one year to seven. But that’s not reliable enough for a medical treatment, and the device can also create a lot of scar tissue in the brain.
“David [Blaauw] and I are going to build a much better device, which will consist of a lot of tiny devices.”
Specifically, they are building tiny carbon-based electrodes that will record signals from the brain’s temporal region, which handles auditory information and language, and is usually intact in patients with aphasia.
The electrodes used to pick up those signals are made of carbon fiber and are smaller than capillaries, doing very little damage to the brain over time—even when large numbers of them are implanted.
A small computer chip attached to each carbon fiber will transmit the neural signal to the outside world.
Blaau is the Kensall D. Wise Collegiate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
He said: “Our approach is completely wireless, and that distinguishes us from many of the interface technologies that are in the market right now.
“By making it wireless and incredibly small, we’re making sure there’s little damage to the brain and it leaves the protective layer around the brain intact.”
Stanford’s work will be led by Jaimie Henderson, professor of neurosurgery, and Frank Willett, assistant professor of neurosurgery.
The team ultimately plans to implant U-M’s devices into patients to restore speech.
