Speech Tasks for Speech Perception

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of California, San Francisco

Disqualifiers: Cerebral lesions, Cognitive deficits, others

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

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 1

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to understand how the brain processes speech sounds, focusing on the sequencing and integration of fundamental speech elements like consonants and vowels. Researchers study brain activity using speech tasks in participants with epilepsy or brain tumors who have electrodes implanted during surgery. This research could enhance treatments for language disorders. Ideal candidates for the trial include individuals with epilepsy or a brain tumor who are undergoing surgical electrode implantation and can actively participate in study tasks. As an unphased trial, this study offers a unique opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking research that could lead to improved treatments for language disorders.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

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 using electrocorticography (ECoG) to record brain activity during speech tasks is generally safe and well-tolerated. One study examined ECoG's effectiveness in mapping language areas in the brain and found it effective without major safety issues. This method involves placing sensors on the brain's surface to detect electrical signals, aiding researchers in understanding speech processing. Although ECoG is used in carefully monitored medical settings, studies suggest it typically does not cause harm or discomfort beyond what is expected in these environments. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the Speech Tasks for Speech Perception trial because it uses Electrocorticography (ECoG) to directly record brain activity during speech perception. Unlike traditional methods that might rely on indirect measures like behavioral tests or non-invasive brain imaging, ECoG provides direct and real-time insights into neural activity. This innovative approach could lead to a deeper understanding of how speech is processed in the brain, potentially paving the way for more effective treatments for speech perception disorders.

What evidence suggests that these speech tasks are effective for understanding speech perception?

Research shows that specific speech exercises can greatly improve speech understanding and recognition. In one study, participants recognized words and sentences very well in quiet environments, scoring 94% for words and 89% for sentences. Another study found that participants quickly adjusted their strategies for understanding speech, even with distractions. This trial will involve participants engaging in Speech Tasks while undergoing Electrocorticography (ECoG) recording to study neural activity. These findings suggest that targeted speech exercises could enhance language perception and understanding. ^{6 7 8 9 10}

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 surgical electrode implantation. They must have electrodes in at least two key brain areas and be able to perform study tasks. Those unable to consent, with significant cerebral lesions, or cognitive deficits that prevent task completion cannot participate.

Inclusion Criteria

I have electrodes implanted in my brain and can follow study instructions.

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

Exclusion Criteria

I am able to understand and complete study tasks despite any cognitive issues.

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

I have significant brain lesions.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intraoperative Procedure

Participants undergo ECoG recording during speech tasks while undergoing surgery for seizure localization or awake intraoperative brain mapping

1 day

1 visit (in-person)

Inpatient Hospitalization

Participants may have ECoG signals recorded during inpatient hospitalization

1-2 days

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after the procedure

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Speech Tasks

Trial Overview The study investigates how the superior temporal gyrus of the brain processes speech sounds. Participants will perform speech tasks while their brain activity is monitored to understand how we perceive words and continuous speech, aiming to improve language disorder treatments.

How Is the Trial Designed?

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

Participants listened to 25-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+

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

Collaborator

Trials

377

Recruited

190,000+

University of California, Berkeley

Collaborator

Trials

193

Recruited

716,000+

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11001425/

Extraordinary Speech and Language Outcomes After Auditory ... Large individual differences and poor speech recognition outcomes are routinely observed in most patients who have received auditory brainstem ...

2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10715842/

The Relationship Between Speech Perception ... The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between speech perception, speech production, and vocabulary abilities in children ...

3. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165587623000800

Long-term speech perception and morphosyntactic ... The participants showed good speech recognition performance in quiet (94% for words and 89% for sentences) whilst their speech-in-noise scores decreased ...

4. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010027725002392

Speech perception strategies shift instantly Finally, we show that shifts in cue weighting are resistant to distraction, occurring equally when speech is presented in quiet versus in informational masking.

5. pubs.asha.org pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2019_AJSLP-19-00076

Patient-Reported Outcomes and Evidence-Based Practice ... ” respondents most often (62.8%) endorsed “outcomes data that demonstrate improvement resulting from speech-language pathology services.” In contrast, only ...

6. 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 ...

7. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8252889/

Language mapping using electrocorticography versus ... These results are the first case series to examine the performance, safety, and tolerability of ECOG and SEEG for extraoperative language mapping. A ...

8. 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 ...

9. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666166725000565

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.

10. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02754544

Electrocorticography in Mapping Functional Brain Areas ... To record electrocorticogram (ECoG) data intraoperatively with surface electrode grids during various motor, sensory (tactile) and speech tasks, and identify ...