Scientists map the Brain's speech decoder
NCT ID NCT05435859
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study investigates how the brain processes speech sounds to understand language. Researchers will record brain activity from people with epilepsy or brain tumors who already have electrodes implanted for medical reasons. Participants listen to short speech sounds while their brain signals are measured, helping scientists learn how basic sounds are linked into words and sentences.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this research could reveal how the brain turns sounds into words, potentially improving treatments for language disorders.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational study with a small group of participants, so findings may not apply to everyone. It aims to understand brain function, not to test a treatment.
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 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2022
- 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 70 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.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Participants with epilepsy or brain tumors at UCSF undergoing surgical electrode implantation for seizure localization or awake intraoperative brain mapping for resection of brain tumors or epilepsy and * Participants with electrodes implanted in at least two regions of interest who are willing and able to cooperate with study tasks. Exclusion Criteria: * Participants who lack capacity or decline to provide informed consent, * Participants who have significant cerebral lesions or * Participants with cognitive deficits that preclude reliable completion of study tasks.
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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 places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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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
Locations
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University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, California, 94143, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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