Mind over matter: new algorithm could let paralysis patients control devices with thoughts
NCT ID NCT07236892
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study is developing algorithms that decode brain and body signals to help people with paralysis control assistive devices like robotic arms, wheelchairs, or computer cursors. Fifty healthy participants will perform tasks while wearing non-invasive sensors such as EEG and EMG. The goal is to improve how these devices interpret a person's intent to move.
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 could lead to better assistive devices that help people with paralysis move and communicate using their own brain and body signals.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study with healthy participants, not people with paralysis. The algorithms may not work as well in real-world conditions or for those with neurological injuries.
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 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2029
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 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: * Fluent in the English language Exclusion Criteria: * Neurological injury or disease that results in functional paralysis
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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
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
Locations
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UCLA Neural Engineering and Computation Lab
RECRUITINGLos Angeles, California, 90095, United States
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