WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute first in U.S. to successfully test innovative brain-computer interface technology to decode speech and language

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – In a groundbreaking study published in The Journal of Neural Engineering, researchers at the West Virginia University Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI) became the first in the United States to successfully record high-resolution neural activity from human speech areas using a novel technology capable of detecting more than 1,000 channels of neural information from the surface of the brain.  

A unique National Science Foundation (NSF) funded study (NSF BRAIN IUCRC - # 2310939) utilized Precision Neuroscience’s novel “Layer 7 Cortical Interface,” which offers promising new insights that could pave the way in treating people with disabilities that impair movement, communication, sensation, or vision. 

By placing the Layer 7 Cortical Interface – a thin film microelectrode array containing 1,024 miniature electrodes, 20 microns thick or one-fifth the thickness of a human hair – directly onto the brain’s surface, RNI researchers conducted real-time, high-resolution neural recordings.  

Connected to a high-speed computing system and powered by AI-assisted analysis, the interface enabled the RNI team to capture unprecedented detail from the speech and language centers of the brain in four of the eight subjects. 

The device was tested during routine brain tumor resections in eight patients allowing researchers to observe and decode brain activity during language tasks with remarkable clarity.  

“We can now actually see the brain forming different words in high definition,” Peter Konrad, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the WVU Department of Neurosurgery and lead investigator of the study, said.                                                                  

“Our ability to map the brain with this level of resolution is a significant leap forward in neurosurgery. This novel technology allows us to observe the brain with incredible detail providing invaluable information about a patient’s brain regions. It allows us to have more precision in brain surgeries. We anticipate this device would significantly advance the treatment of neurological disabilities through a brain computer interface.” 

To demonstrate the possibility of detecting and decoding the formation of basic words being generated by the brain, the RNI team partnered with Precision Neuroscience in hopes to achieve an artificial speech and language assistive device for patients disabled with speech loss due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, stroke, or other language-disabling illness.  

Meanwhile, the study represents a significant advancement in the quest for personalized neuroscience with implications for improving precision brain surgery outcomes that occur in or around language areas, as well as advancing our understanding of the brain's functional organization. 

Further research will be needed to explore the potential application of the Layer 7 Cortical Interface device for bypassing disabled brain circuits in other conditions affecting millions of people today like paralysis, vision loss, or sensory loss all due to illness or trauma. 
 

About the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute 
The WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute (RNI) is a comprehensive multidisciplinary patient care, education, and research institute providing neurological and mental healthcare for 300,000 patients visits annually. The 300 physicians and scientists of the RNI improve lives by pioneering advances in neuroscience, brain health, and therapeutics. The RNI team uses the latest technologies with academic, government, and industry partners to make tangible progress to combat public health challenges ranging from addiction to Alzheimer’s disease. For more information, visit WVUMedicine.org/RNI.