Novel computational approaches for neural speech prostheses and causal dynamics of language processing

Project Summary

This project develop computational approaches that will advance our understanding of neural processing for human speech and drive novel clinical applications including speech neural prosthetics, critical for people who are unable to speak; and neurosurgical mapping of language cortex, a necessary procedure in tumor and epilepsy surgery. Our research is framed across three intertwining thrusts:

1) Developing deep-learning models that decode speech from neural signals recorded using intracranial depth (sEEG) and surface (ECoG) electrodes;

2) Developing efficient algorithms for estimating directed connectivity dynamics among a large number of electrode sites, essential for understanding the interaction across brain regions during cognitive processing; 

3) Developing deep-learning models for predicting brain regions causally critical for language processing from sEEG/ECoG recordings without electrical stimulation. 

Participants

Yao Wang, Principal Investigator, Lab Page
Adeen Flinker, Co-Principal Investigator, Lab Page
Amirhossein Khalilian-Gourtani, Postdoctoral Researcher
Xupeng Chen, PhD student
Nika Emami, PhD student
Chenqian Le, PhD student

Sponsor

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 2309057.  This research extends the work previously supported by NSF under Grant No. 1912286.

Decoding Speech from Intracranial Electrode Signals

Publications

Chen, X., Wang, R., Khalilian-Gourtani, A., Yu, L., Dugan, P., Friedman, D., Doyle, W., Devinsky, O., Wang, Y. and Flinker, A., 2024. A neural speech decoding framework leveraging deep learning and speech synthesis. Nature Machine Intelligence, pp.1-14. Press release

Wang, R., Chen, X., Khalilian-Gourtani, A., Yu, L., Dugan, P., Friedman, D., Doyle, W., Devinsky, O., Wang, Y. and Flinker, A., 2023. Distributed feedforward and feedback cortical processing supports human speech production. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences120(42), p.e2300255120. Press release

Chen, J., Chen, X., Wang, R., Le, C., Khalilian-Gourtani, A., Jensen, E., Dugan, P., Doyle, W., Devinsky, O., Friedman, D. and Flinker, A., 2024. Subject-Agnostic Transformer-Based Neural Speech Decoding from Surface and Depth Electrode Signals. bioRxiv.

Demo page

https://xc1490.github.io/nsd

https://xc1490.github.io/swinTW

Detection of Critical Cortical Regions for Language Processing