Researchers use artificial intelligence to help ALS patient speak again

BOSTON – Using artificial intelligence, doctors have found a way to give people who lost their voice to ALS the ability to speak again. This new technology is actually translating brain activity into speech.

“Not being able to communicate is so frustrating and demoralizing,” said Casey Harrell, a study participant. “It is like you are trapped.” 

In a breakthrough clinical trial called “BrainGate 2”, a research team directed by Dr. Leigh Hochberg at Massachusetts General Hospital set out to give participants like Casey a voice again. 

“For people with ALS, who are losing the ability to move, and the ability to speak, one of the most devastating aspects of this disease is the loss of communication,” said Dr. Hochberg. “Part of what we all want to achieve is to restore that communication.”

Surgically implanted devices

The team surgically implanted a tiny device smaller than an M&M directly onto Casey’s brain.

“We placed four of them on the top of the brain and a part of the brain that’s really important for the control of speech,” Dr. Hochberg said. “That means that were able to take the brain activity as he was speaking and turn that brain activity into words on a computer screen.”

In mere moments, a computer decoded Casey’s thoughts. First into words, then into sentences and meaningful phrases and it didn’t end there. Researchers took it a step further.

“We had used an AI approach to taking his pre-ALS voice,” Dr. Hochberg said, “and allowing that voice to be the one that was heard through the computer.”

“Seeing his and his family’s emotional reaction to that working right out of the gate was really an important moment for all of us,” Dr. Hochberg said. “In fact, for the research team that was there, everybody had to pause after seeing it work right at the beginning and kind of gather themselves again for a moment to continue the rest of the day.”

Doctors anticipate that the breakthrough could not only bring back someone’s ability to speak, but the chance to walk again one day.

“I meet people who yesterday were able to walk and speak without any difficulty and suddenly have lost the ability to move or have lost the ability to speak,” Dr. Hochberg said. “And as a physician, I want nothing more than to be able to say to that person, ‘I’m sorry that this happened, but we have a technology. And tomorrow, you’re going to be able to move again, you’re going to be able to speak again.'”

Restoring hope for ALS patients  

For Casey, it’s restoring hope that was stolen from him by a disease. “I hope that we are at a time when everyone who is like me, have the same opportunity as I do, to have a device like this that will help them communicate,” Casey said.

Dr. Hochberg says they are currently enrolling new participants in the BrainGate clinical trials. Right now, there are five people in the trial. 

David Wade

Multiple award-winning journalist David Wade co-anchors WBZ-TV News at 5, 6 and 11 p.m. with co-anchor Lisa Hughes and chief meteorologist Eric Fisher.