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ECoG BMI for Motor and Speech Control

A High-Performance ECoG-based Neural Interface for Communication and Neuroprosthetic Control

Who can join

As published by the study on ClinicalTrials.gov. "Not stated" means the study hasn't said — ask the study team.

Age
21 Years and older
Sex
All sexes
Healthy volunteers
Not accepted
Compensation
Not stated

Other requirements are listed under Eligibility below. Only the study team can confirm whether you can join.

What to expect

No one can promise a trial will help you personally — that is what the research is trying to find out.

What participation involves

Not stated in the study description — ask the study team about visits and procedures.

Compensation
Not stated
  • Study-related exams and procedures are typically provided at no cost. This is how many trials work in general — confirm the details for this study with the study team.
  • Participants are monitored closely by the research team throughout the study.
  • Some participants may receive access to an investigational treatment, which is still being studied.
  • Your participation helps researchers learn whether this approach could help future patients.

About this study

In plain language

This study tests whether electrical signals from the brain’s surface, called ECoG, can control complex devices for movement and speech. It is for adults over age 21 with severe loss of arm or hand use due to certain nerve, brain, spinal cord, or muscle disorders.

Test the feasibility of using electrocorticography (ECoG) signals to control complex devices for motor and speech control in adults severely affected by neurological disorders.

Compensation is read from the study's own description and may be missing — always confirm with the study team.

Eligibility

Who can join

  • You are older than 21.
  • An exam shows limited arm or hand use due to stroke, ALS, multiple sclerosis, a spinal cord injury in the neck, muscular dystrophy, myopathy (muscle disease), or severe neuropathy (nerve damage).
  • You need help with daily tasks and cannot live independently. Your score on the Modified Rankin disability scale is 4 or higher.
  • If you have a stroke or spinal cord injury, your symptoms started at least 1 year ago.
  • You live within a two-hour drive of UCSF.

Who can't join

  • You are pregnant or breastfeeding; cannot understand or read English; cannot give consent; or cannot attend follow-up visits.
  • You have dementia (problems with memory and thinking), active depression with a BDI score above 20, or another listed mental illness: active general anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, OCD, or a personality disorder.
  • You have a history of a suicide attempt, thoughts of suicide, or substance abuse.
  • You need ongoing blood-thinning treatment, or have uncontrolled high blood pressure, cancer, or major organ failure.
  • You have had surgery inside your skull or seizures, have a weakened immune system, or have an active infection.
  • You have a system that drains fluid around the brain and spinal cord, or an active leak of this fluid.
  • You need deep-heat treatment (diathermy), electrical shock treatment (ECT), or magnetic brain stimulation (TMS) for a long-term condition. You have an implanted electronic device, such as a nerve stimulator, pacemaker, defibrillator, or medicine pump, or metal objects in your head or neck.
  • You are allergic or sensitive to materials in the study’s electrodes: silicone, titanium, platinum iridium, or nichrome.

Simplified for readability. The official criteria below are what the study team uses.

Official eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age \> 21 2. Limited ability to use upper limbs, based on neurological examination, due to stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis, cervical spinal cord injury, brainstem stroke, muscular dystrophy, myopathy or severe neuropathy. 3. Disability, defined by a 4 or greater score on the Modified Rankin Scale, must be severe enough to cause loss of independence and inability to perform activities of daily living. 4. If stroke or spinal cord injury, at least 1 year has passed since onset of symptoms 5. Must live within a two-hour drive of UCSF Exclusion Criteria: 1. Pregnancy or breastfeeding 2. Inability to understand and/or read English 3. Inability to give consent 4. Dementia, based on history, physical exam, and MMSE 5. Active depression (BDI \> 20) or other psychiatric illness (active general anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or personality disorders (e.g. multiple personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, etc.) 6. History of suicide attempt or suicidal ideation 7. History of substance abuse 8. Co-morbidities including ongoing anticoagulation, uncontrolled hypertension, cancer, or major organ system failure 9. Inability to comply with study follow-up visits 10. Any prior intracranial surgery 11. History of seizures 12. Immunocompromised 13. Has an active infection 14. Has a CSF drainage system or an active CSF leak 15. Requires diathermy, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), or transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to treat a chronic condition 16. Has an implanted electronic device such as a neurostimulator, cardiac pacemaker/defibrillator or medication pump, or presence of any head or neck metallic foreign bodies 17. Allergies or known hypersensitivity to materials in the Blackrock NeuroPort Array (i.e. silicone, titanium) or the PMT Subdural Cortical Electrode (silicone, platinum iridium, nichrome)

Study sites (1)

CA