The life-changing power of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs)
With guests Dr. Leigh Hochberg, Dr. David Brandman, and Dr. Sergey Stavisky.
00:00 – Intro
03:39 – Public fear and perception of brain tech
06:07 – BCIs for prevention and detection
08:35 – Dr. Leigh Hochberg on the history of BCIs
10:47 – Decoding movement from thought: early experiments
12:41 – Real-time speech restoration for ALS patients
14:43 – “Is this thing on?” — recreating Casey’s voice
17:00 – The technology behind decoding intended speech
19:02 – The Utah array, explained
21:15 – Machine learning’s role in decoding brain signals
23:54 – Ethics of neural data, autonomy, and access
26:15 – What the next 20–50 years might bring
27:44 – A call for more neurologist involvement
28:37 – Interview: Drs. Brandman & Stavisky
34:06 – The BrainGate trial
44:39 – BCIs for language disorders and stroke?
47:58 – How to volunteer with BrainGate
48:12 – Neuralink: the call for transparency
50:12 – Ethical urgency and hope for humanity
52:33 – Outro
Restoring a person’s ability to speak, enabling individuals with paralysis to regain movement, and detecting neurodegenerative diseases earlier than ever — these are just some of the breakthroughs brain-computer interfaces are making possible.
In this episode, we explore the astonishing world of BCIs: technologies that are giving autonomy and independence back to people with diseases like ALS.
We discuss:
• How BCIs are helping people with neurodegenerative diseases and spinal cord injuries communicate using decoded brain signals
• How brain-computer interfaces actually work (and why they’re NOT just reading your mind)
• Why motor cortex implants may help decode speech, even when inserted in unexpected regions
• The ethical challenges of privacy, data ownership, and access in the era of brain-connected devices
• The future of the field, from restoring language after stroke to enabling communication in children with cerebral palsy
We speak with three world-leading researchers and clinicians who are helping shape this rapidly-advancing area of neuroscience:
• Dr. Leigh Hochberg, director of the Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery at Massachusetts General Hospital, and principal clinical investigator of the pilot clinical trials of the BrainGate Neural Interface System.
• Dr. David Brandman, neurosurgeon and co-director of the UC Davis Neuroprosthetics Lab.
• Dr. Sergey Stavisky, neural engineer and co-director of the UC Davis Neuroprosthetics Lab.
This is... Your Brain On Brain-Computer Interfaces.
‘Your Brain On’ is hosted by neurologists, scientists and public health advocates Ayesha and Dean Sherzai.
‘Your Brain On... Brain-Computer Interfaces’ • SEASON 5 • EPISODE 3
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/your-brain-on-brain-computer-interfaces/id1730984252?i=1000706640214
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/66Swnr5nq2Q5c2L1sXKA8D?si=1xp4u1iQTrubIpQNEz721w
———
Your Brain On... is supported by the FREE monthly Brain Box, available in our NEURO World community: http://thebraindocs.com/brainbox
———
CONNECT WITH THE BRAIN DOCS:
Website: https://thebraindocs.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebraindocs
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebraindocs
With guests Dr. Leigh Hochberg, Dr. David Brandman, and Dr. Sergey Stavisky.
00:00 – Intro
03:39 – Public fear and perception of brain tech
06:07 – BCIs for prevention and detection
08:35 – Dr. Leigh Hochberg on the history of BCIs
10:47 – Decoding movement from thought: early experiments
12:41 – Real-time speech restoration for ALS patients
14:43 – “Is this thing on?” — recreating Casey’s voice
17:00 – The technology behind decoding intended speech
19:02 – The Utah array, explained
21:15 – Machine learning’s role in decoding brain signals
23:54 – Ethics of neural data, autonomy, and access
26:15 – What the next 20–50 years might bring
27:44 – A call for more neurologist involvement
28:37 – Interview: Drs. Brandman & Stavisky
34:06 – The BrainGate trial
44:39 – BCIs for language disorders and stroke?
47:58 – How to volunteer with BrainGate
48:12 – Neuralink: the call for transparency
50:12 – Ethical urgency and hope for humanity
52:33 – Outro
Restoring a person’s ability to speak, enabling individuals with paralysis to regain movement, and detecting neurodegenerative diseases earlier than ever — these are just some of the breakthroughs brain-computer interfaces are making possible.
In this episode, we explore the astonishing world of BCIs: technologies that are giving autonomy and independence back to people with diseases like ALS.
We discuss:
• How BCIs are helping people with neurodegenerative diseases and spinal cord injuries communicate using decoded brain signals
• How brain-computer interfaces actually work (and why they’re NOT just reading your mind)
• Why motor cortex implants may help decode speech, even when inserted in unexpected regions
• The ethical challenges of privacy, data ownership, and access in the era of brain-connected devices
• The future of the field, from restoring language after stroke to enabling communication in children with cerebral palsy
We speak with three world-leading researchers and clinicians who are helping shape this rapidly-advancing area of neuroscience:
• Dr. Leigh Hochberg, director of the Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery at Massachusetts General Hospital, and principal clinical investigator of the pilot clinical trials of the BrainGate Neural Interface System.
• Dr. David Brandman, neurosurgeon and co-director of the UC Davis Neuroprosthetics Lab.
• Dr. Sergey Stavisky, neural engineer and co-director of the UC Davis Neuroprosthetics Lab.
This is… Your Brain On Brain-Computer Interfaces.
‘Your Brain On’ is hosted by neurologists, scientists and public health advocates Ayesha and Dean Sherzai.
‘Your Brain On… Brain-Computer Interfaces’ • SEASON 5 • EPISODE 3
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/your-brain-on-brain-computer-interfaces/id1730984252?i=1000706640214
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/66Swnr5nq2Q5c2L1sXKA8D?si=1xp4u1iQTrubIpQNEz721w
———
Your Brain On… is supported by the FREE monthly Brain Box, available in our NEURO World community: http://thebraindocs.com/brainbox
———
CONNECT WITH THE BRAIN DOCS:
Website: https://thebraindocs.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebraindocs
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebraindocs
