A man in the US who suffers from the muscle degeneration disease ALS was able to 'speak' using a brain-computer interface, offering hope to thousands of people who are unable to speak because of such conditions.&nbsp;

Casey Harrell, 45, used the brain-computer interface or BCI that interpreted his brain signals and turned them into text, which was then read by a computer, with 97 per cent accuracy, which makes this device the most accurate of its kind.

“Our BCI technology helped a man with paralysis to communicate with friends, families and caregivers,” said neurosurgeon David Brandman of University of California, Davis, where the experiment was conducted.

Brandman described it as "the most accurate speech neuroprosthesis (device) ever reported.”

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Harrell used the system in both prompted and spontaneous conversational settings, a release from UC Davis said on Wednesday (Aug 15).

In both cases, speech decoding happened in real time, it said.

"The decoded words were shown on a screen and read aloud in a voice that sounded like Harrell’s before he had ALS. The voice was composed using software trained with existing audio samples of his pre-ALS voice," it said.

<h2>How the man with ALS was able to 'speak'</h2>

The 45-year's speech was hard to understand and he required others to help interpret for him.&nbsp;

For the experiment, sensors from the BCI were implanted in Harrel's&nbsp;brain in July 2023. These included four microelectrode arrays inserted in the part of his brain responsible for coordinating speech, which could record brain activity from 256 cortical electrodes.

The researchers essentially 'recorded' him from the part of the brain that’s trying to send commands to the muscles.

"We are basically listening into that, and we’re translating those patterns of brain activity into a phoneme — like a syllable or the unit of speech — and then the words they’re trying to say,” said neuroscientist Sergey Stavisky.&nbsp;“We’re really detecting their attempt to move their muscles and talk.”

The brain signals are then interpreted by machine-learning programmes in the device.

<h2>Why this is a breakthrough</h2>

The experiment offers hope for people who want to speak but can’t.

“Previous speech BCI systems had frequent word errors. This made it difficult for the user to be understood consistently and was a barrier to communication,” Brandman said. “Our objective was to develop a system that empowered someone to be understood whenever they wanted to speak.”&nbsp;

"The first time we tried the system, he cried with joy as the words he was trying to say correctly appeared on-screen. We all did," said neuroscientist Sergey Stavisky who was part of the study.

 
“At this point, we can decode what Casey is trying to say correctly about 97 per cent of the time,” Brandman said.&nbsp;

“It has been immensely rewarding to see Casey regain his ability to speak with his family and friends through this technology,” said the study’s lead author, Nicholas Card.

&nbsp;

<h2>What is ALS?</h2>

ALS is a progressive muscle degeneration disease. Also known as&nbsp;Lou Gehrig's disease, it inhibits the ability of nerve cells that control movement over a period of time, leading to the&nbsp;weakening of muscles.

Over time, patients become unable to stand, walk and use their hands.

In some cases, ALS can&nbsp;impair speech as it affects muscles and nerves that control speaking movements.

(With inputs from agencies)

A man in the US who suffers from the muscle degeneration disease ALS was able to 'speak' using a brain-computer interface, offering hope to thousands of people who are unable to speak because of such conditions.

A man in the US who suffers from the muscle degeneration disease ALS was able to 'speak' using a brain-computer interface, offering hope to thousands of people who are unable to speak because of such conditions. Casey Harrell, 45, used the brain-computer interface or BCI that interpreted his brain signals and turned them into text, which was then read by a computer, with 97 per cent accuracy, which makes this device the most accurate of its kind. “Our BCI technology helped a man with paralysis to communicate with friends, families and caregivers,” said neurosurgeon David Brandman of University of California, Davis, where the experiment was conducted. Brandman described it as "the most accurate speech neuroprosthesis (device) ever reported.” Also read:When does ageing really kick in? Scientists find two specific ages when signs show up. They are... Harrell used the system in both prompted and spontaneous conversational settings, a release from UC Davis said on Wednesday (Aug 15). In both cases, speech decoding happened in real time, it said. "The decoded words were shown on a screen and read aloud in a voice that sounded like Harrell’s before he had ALS. The voice was composed using software trained with existing audio samples of his pre-ALS voice," it said. How the man with ALS was able to 'speak' The 45-year's speech was hard to understand and he required others to help interpret for him. For the experiment, sensors from the BCI were implanted in Harrel's brain in July 2023. These included four microelectrode arrays inserted in the part of his brain responsible for coordinating speech, which could record brain activity from 256 cortical electrodes. The researchers essentially 'recorded' him from the part of the brain that’s trying to send commands to the muscles. "We are basically listening into that, and we’re translating those patterns of brain activity into a phoneme — like a syllable or the unit of speech — and then the words they’re trying to say,” said neuroscientist Sergey Stavisky. “We’re really detecting their attempt to move their muscles and talk.” The brain signals are then interpreted by machine-learning programmes in the device. Why this is a breakthrough The experiment offers hope for people who want to speak but can’t. “Previous speech BCI systems had frequent word errors. This made it difficult for the user to be understood consistently and was a barrier to communication,” Brandman said. “Our objective was to develop a system that empowered someone to be understood whenever they wanted to speak.” "The first time we tried the system, he cried with joy as the words he was trying to say correctly appeared on-screen. We all did," said neuroscientist Sergey Stavisky who was part of the study. “At this point, we can decode what Casey is trying to say correctly about 97 per cent of the time,” Brandman said. “It has been immensely rewarding to see Casey regain his ability to speak with his family and friends through this technology,” said the study’s lead author, Nicholas Card. What is ALS? ALS is a progressive muscle degeneration disease. Also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, it inhibits the ability of nerve cells that control movement over a period of time, leading to the weakening of muscles. Over time, patients become unable to stand, walk and use their hands. In some cases, ALS can impair speech as it affects muscles and nerves that control speaking movements. (With inputs from agencies)

Brain-computer interface helps man with ALS 'speak' again: 'He cried with joy, we all did'

A 26-year-old woman reportedly tossed her six-year-old speech disabled son into a river infested with crocodiles in Dandeli taluk in the India's southern state of Karnataka after an argument with her husband, as per police statements on Sunday (May 5). The boy died later.

The husband and wife frequently argued about their older son's speech disability, which he has had since birth. They also mentioned having a two-year-old son.

Savitri's husband, Ravi Kumar, frequently argued with her about their elder son's disability, questioning why she gave birth to such a child. Police reported that on some occasions, he allegedly urged her to&nbsp;"throw the child away."

After another argument about this issue on Saturday evening (May 4), a frustrated Savitri purportedly threw her elder son into a waste canal connected directly to the Kali river, which is known to be infested with crocodiles.

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<h2>Police found the child's body with a missing hand</h2>

Neighbours alerted the police, who arrived at the scene and, with the help of locals and divers, conducted a search operation to rescue the child. However, due to the darkness, the police were unable to locate the child.

A police officer said on Sunday morning that they found the child's body. The child had severe injuries, bite marks all over, and its one hand was missing, suggesting a crocodile attack. The body was sent for examination to determine the exact cause of death. The police are still investigating.

Also watch |&nbsp;China hunts for nearly 70 crocodiles that escaped during China floods | WION

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/china-hunts-for-nearly-70-crocodiles-that-escaped-during-china-floods-wion-635731/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"We have registered a case at Dandeli Rural Police station under section 109 and 302 of the Indian Penal Code and arrested both husband and wife in connection with the incident," the officer told PTI.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

A 26-year-old woman reportedly tossed her six-year-old speech disabled son into a river infested with crocodiles in Dandeli taluk in the India's southern state of Karnataka after an argument with her husband, as per police statements on Sunday (May 5).

A 26-year-old woman reportedly tossed her six-year-old speech disabled son into a river infested with crocodiles in Dandeli taluk in the India's southern state of Karnataka after an argument with her husband, as per police statements on Sunday (May 5). The boy died later. The husband and wife frequently argued about their older son's speech disability, which he has had since birth. They also mentioned having a two-year-old son. Savitri's husband, Ravi Kumar, frequently argued with her about their elder son's disability, questioning why she gave birth to such a child. Police reported that on some occasions, he allegedly urged her to "throw the child away." After another argument about this issue on Saturday evening (May 4), a frustrated Savitri purportedly threw her elder son into a waste canal connected directly to the Kali river, which is known to be infested with crocodiles. Also read | Punjab youth beaten to death after alleged sacrilege incident Police found the child's body with a missing hand Neighbours alerted the police, who arrived at the scene and, with the help of locals and divers, conducted a search operation to rescue the child. However, due to the darkness, the police were unable to locate the child. A police officer said on Sunday morning that they found the child's body. The child had severe injuries, bite marks all over, and its one hand was missing, suggesting a crocodile attack. The body was sent for examination to determine the exact cause of death. The police are still investigating. Also watch | China hunts for nearly 70 crocodiles that escaped during China floods | WION "We have registered a case at Dandeli Rural Police station under section 109 and 302 of the Indian Penal Code and arrested both husband and wife in connection with the incident," the officer told PTI. (With inputs from agencies)

Mother throws 6-year-old speech-impaired son into crocodile-infested river in Karnataka

A new&nbsp;study&nbsp;called Brain-Computer Interface Restoration of Arm and Voice (BRAVO) has successfully&nbsp;converted the brainwaves of a paralysed man into proper sentences.

The study which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine was done by a team of researchers from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF).&nbsp;

David Moses, a postdoctoral engineer at UCSF&nbsp;who was one of the lead authors of the study&nbsp;calls it a milestone in technology for people who cannot speak and/or communicate naturally.

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"It demonstrates the potential for this approach to give a voice to people with severe paralysis and speech loss," he added.

The subject of this study is a&nbsp;36-year-old man, who suffers from anarthia or the inability to speak intelligibly. Codenamed BRAVO1, the man suffered a stroke at the age of 20 years which left him without the skill to speak properly even though his cognitive functions remained intact.&nbsp;

Every year, strokes, accidents, disease, and other factors render thousands of people unable to talk.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/plants-help-reduce-toxic-mercury-from-environment-says-study-375199">Plants help reduce toxic mercury from environment, says study</a>

While earlier&nbsp;researchers in this field have used electrodes to read brain waves to create mobility prosthetics that can spell out letters, BRAVO&nbsp;is intended to enable faster and more efficient, organic communication.

Researchers at UCSF had previously used electrode arrays to detect signals controlling the vocal tract during brain surgery in order to predict words. Using this method, they were able to decode the patterns and translate them into words in patients with normal speech.

However, the technology was not tested to determine whether it could be of clinical benefit in patients with paralysis.

BRAVO1

<div>BRAVO1, who suffered a devastating brainstem stroke, is unable to move his head, neck, or limbs, and communicates solely by prodding letters on a screen using a baseball cap-mounted pointer. Before implanting a high-density electrode over BRAVO1's speech motor cortex, researchers developed a 50-word vocabulary that included words such as "water," "family," and "good" which he needed every day.&nbsp;</div>

<div>&nbsp;</div>

<div>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/drinking-coffee-reduces-risk-of-contracting-coronavirus-study-397490">Drinking coffee reduces risk of contracting coronavirus: Study</a></div>

Then over the course of several months, using artificial intelligence, they identified subtle patterns in data as he continued to try and speak those sets of words.&nbsp;Finally,&nbsp;they measured his performance by providing him with sentences formed from the vocabulary set and recorded the results on a screen.

Following that, they prompted him with questions such as "how are you today?" and "would you like some water?" to which he responded with responses like "I am very good," and "no, I am not thirsty."

According to the research, the system could decode up to 18 words per minute with a 75 per cent accuracy rate. An automatic correction feature, similar to those found on phones, contributed to its success.

BRAVO1's neurosurgeon Edward Chang, a co-author, said,&nbsp;"To our knowledge, this is the first successful demonstration of direct decoding of full words from the brain activity of someone who is paralyzed and cannot speak,".

(With inputs from agencies)

A new study called Brain-Computer Interface Restoration of Arm and Voice (BRAVO) has successfully converted the brainwaves of a paralysed man into proper sentences.

A new study called Brain-Computer Interface Restoration of Arm and Voice (BRAVO) has successfully converted the brainwaves of a paralysed man into proper sentences. The study which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine was done by a team of researchers from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). David Moses, a postdoctoral engineer at UCSF who was one of the lead authors of the study calls it a milestone in technology for people who cannot speak and/or communicate naturally. Also read | Study claiming smokers less vulnerable to COVID-19 retracted as authors linked to tobacco industry "It demonstrates the potential for this approach to give a voice to people with severe paralysis and speech loss," he added. The subject of this study is a 36-year-old man, who suffers from anarthia or the inability to speak intelligibly. Codenamed BRAVO1, the man suffered a stroke at the age of 20 years which left him without the skill to speak properly even though his cognitive functions remained intact. Every year, strokes, accidents, disease, and other factors render thousands of people unable to talk. Also read | Plants help reduce toxic mercury from environment, says study While earlier researchers in this field have used electrodes to read brain waves to create mobility prosthetics that can spell out letters, BRAVO is intended to enable faster and more efficient, organic communication. Researchers at UCSF had previously used electrode arrays to detect signals controlling the vocal tract during brain surgery in order to predict words. Using this method, they were able to decode the patterns and translate them into words in patients with normal speech. However, the technology was not tested to determine whether it could be of clinical benefit in patients with paralysis. BRAVO1 BRAVO1, who suffered a devastating brainstem stroke, is unable to move his head, neck, or limbs, and communicates solely by prodding letters on a screen using a baseball cap-mounted pointer. Before implanting a high-density electrode over BRAVO1's speech motor cortex, researchers developed a 50-word vocabulary that included words such as "water," "family," and "good" which he needed every day. Also read | Drinking coffee reduces risk of contracting coronavirus: Study Then over the course of several months, using artificial intelligence, they identified subtle patterns in data as he continued to try and speak those sets of words. Finally, they measured his performance by providing him with sentences formed from the vocabulary set and recorded the results on a screen. Following that, they prompted him with questions such as "how are you today?" and "would you like some water?" to which he responded with responses like "I am very good," and "no, I am not thirsty." According to the research, the system could decode up to 18 words per minute with a 75 per cent accuracy rate. An automatic correction feature, similar to those found on phones, contributed to its success. BRAVO1's neurosurgeon Edward Chang, a co-author, said, "To our knowledge, this is the first successful demonstration of direct decoding of full words from the brain activity of someone who is paralyzed and cannot speak,". (With inputs from agencies)

Researchers in US convert brainwaves of a paralysed man into sentences

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Brain-computer interface helps man with ALS 'speak' again: 'He cried with joy, we all did'

Mother throws 6-year-old speech-impaired son into crocodile-infested river in Karnataka

Researchers in US convert brainwaves of a paralysed man into sentences