Speech Tasks for Understanding Brain Processing of Language

Overseen By Anthony Fong

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of California, San Francisco

Disqualifiers: Cognitive deficits, Significant cerebral lesions, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 2

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores how the brain processes spoken language to aid in developing new treatments for language disorders such as aphasia and dyslexia. Researchers will record brain activity from individuals with epilepsy or brain tumors as they listen to speech tasks, aiming to understand how the brain processes different languages. Participants should be undergoing surgical procedures for epilepsy or language mapping at UCSF and be willing to engage in study tasks. As an unphased trial, this study provides a unique opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking research that could lead to new treatments for language disorders.

Do I need to stop my current medications for the trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It's best to discuss this with the study team or your doctor.

What prior data suggests that these speech tasks are safe for participants?

Research has shown that electrocorticography (ECoG), used during speech tasks, is generally well-tolerated by participants. ECoG records brain activity directly from the brain's surface and has been used safely in many research and medical settings.

Previous studies on ECoG reported few side effects, indicating it is a safe procedure. Participants usually undergo this procedure during brain surgeries or hospital stays, where they receive close monitoring. The goal is to capture brain signals while participants listen to or produce speech, aiding researchers in understanding how the brain processes language.

Overall, ECoG has proven to be a valuable tool in neuroscience, providing detailed insights into brain activity without major safety concerns for participants. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it's exploring how our brains process language, using a method called electrocorticography (ECoG) during speech tasks. Unlike other brain-imaging techniques that might be used in similar studies, ECoG involves directly recording neural activity from the brain's surface, providing a highly detailed and precise picture of brain function. This could lead to breakthroughs in understanding language processing at a neural level, potentially improving interventions for language-related disorders.

What evidence suggests that these speech tasks are effective for understanding brain processing of language?

Research shows that using electrocorticography (ECoG) during speech tasks can enhance understanding of how the brain processes language. In this trial, participants will undergo ECoG recording while engaging in speech tasks. ECoG records detailed brain activity, particularly in areas crucial for understanding speech sounds. Studies have demonstrated that ECoG can translate brain signals into speech-related information, providing a clear picture of how the brain handles language. This method holds promise for mapping language functions and understanding speech production, potentially leading to improved diagnosis and treatment of language disorders such as aphasia and dyslexia. These findings suggest that studying language processing with ECoG could advance understanding and treatment of language-related conditions. ^{3 6 7 8 9}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Edward F Chang, MD

Principal Investigator

University of California, San Francisco

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for individuals at UCSF with epilepsy or brain tumors who are undergoing surgery involving electrode implantation. They must be able to perform study tasks and have electrodes in at least two key brain areas. Those unable to consent, with significant cerebral lesions, or cognitive deficits that prevent task completion cannot participate.

Inclusion Criteria

I have electrodes implanted in key areas and can participate in study tasks.

I am having surgery at UCSF for epilepsy or a brain tumor, involving electrode implantation.

Exclusion Criteria

I am able to understand and complete study tasks without difficulty.

I have significant brain lesions.

I am unable or unwilling to give consent for this trial.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intraoperative Procedure

Participants undergo intraoperative procedures where ECoG signals are recorded during speech tasks

1 day

1 visit (in-person)

Inpatient Hospitalization

Participants are hospitalized for further ECoG signal recording during speech tasks

1-2 days

1 visit (in-person)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after procedures

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Speech Tasks

Trial Overview The study aims to understand how the brain processes speech across different languages by recording neural activity during surgery. It uses high-density electrodes and signal processing on patients speaking Mandarin, Spanish, and English to explore phonetic encoding in the temporal cortex.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Electrocorticography (ECoG) recording during Speech Tasks Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants listened to 20-minute Speech Tasks while ECoG signals for neural activity was recorded during their intraoperative procedure or inpatient hospitalization at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of California, San Francisco

Lead Sponsor

Trials

2,636

Recruited

19,080,000+

University of California, Berkeley

Collaborator

Trials

193

Recruited

716,000+

The University of Hong Kong

Collaborator

Trials

1,238

Recruited

1,387,000+

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Collaborator

Trials

1,403

Recruited

655,000+

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Collaborator

Trials

6

Recruited

90+

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12478441/

Intraoperative Techniques for Language Mapping in Brain ... ECoG offers a high‐resolution approach to language mapping by detecting high‐gamma activity, reducing the risk of intraoperative seizures, and ...

2. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772528625000470

Revealing Spatiotemporal Neural Activation Patterns in ... In this study, we apply MI to speech production using ECoG data —not to decode language directly, but to uncover the spatiotemporal structure of ...

3. nature.com nature.com/articles/s44287-024-00054-5

An electrocorticography-based speech decoder for neural ... The open-source framework comprises an ECoG decoder that translates neural signals into interpretable acoustic speech parameters.

4. arxiv.org arxiv.org/html/2509.08703v1

Machine Learning-Based Prediction of Speech Arrest ... To address this, we analyzed intracranial electrocorticographic (ECoG) data from 16 participants performing speech tasks and developed machine ...

5. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3701859/

Using the Electrocorticographic Speech Network to Control ... The study shows that speech operations can be exploited for control signals from small regions of cortex within a broad perisylvian network.

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11904493/

Protocol to perform offline ECoG brain-to-text decoding for ... We describe steps for preparing materials, including designing the sentence corpus and setting up electrocorticography (ECoG) recording systems.

7. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3471287/

Recording Human Electrocorticographic (ECoG) Signals ... We describe our methods for collecting recording ECoG, and demonstrate how to use these signals for important real-time applications such as clinical mapping ...

8. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878747923010048

The Potential for a Speech Brain–Computer Interface ... This review discusses and outlines the current state-of-the-art for speech BCI and explores what a speech BCI using chronic ECoG might entail.

9. nature.com nature.com/articles/s41597-022-01542-9

Dataset of Speech Production in intracranial ... Here, we provide a dataset of 10 participants reading out individual words while we measured intracranial EEG from a total of 1103 electrodes.