Mind-Controlled tablets: brain implant trial aims to give voice to the paralyzed
NCT ID NCT06511934
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This early-stage trial tests a brain-computer interface called BrainGate for people with paralysis from conditions like ALS or spinal cord injury. A small sensor is placed in the brain to interpret movement-related signals, allowing users to control a tablet computer just by thinking. The main goal is to check safety over one year, with only 6 participants enrolled so far.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- BrainGate Neural Interface System (device)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could restore the ability to communicate and use tablets for people with severe paralysis, improving independence and quality of life.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, small safety trial with only 6 participants. The device requires brain surgery, and risks include infection or device failure. It may not work for everyone.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 6 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2024
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Clinical diagnosis of spinal cord injury, brainstem stroke, muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or other motor neuron disorders * Complete or incomplete tetraplegia (quadriplegia) * Must live within a three-hour drive of the Study site * Prior enrollment in BrainGate2 clinical trial (NCT00912041) Exclusion Criteria: * Visual impairment such that extended viewing of a computer monitor would be difficult even with ordinary corrective lenses * Chronic oral or intravenous steroids or immunosuppressive therapy * Other serious disease or disorder that could seriously affect ability to participate in the study (There are additional exclusion criteria)
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The study's own enquiry address
This study publishes an address for enquiries. See it below .
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Show contact details
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Locations
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Masssachusetts General Hospital
RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States
Contact Email: •••••@•••••
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- Breathing brief Low-Oxygen bursts may boost sleep apnea treatment
- Pure oxygen tested as a switch for dormant nerves after spinal cord injury
- Spinal stimulation tested to help kids with spinal cord injuries sit taller
- Zapping the spine: a new hope for kids with paralysis?
- Can painless spinal zaps teach injured kids to walk again?