Reading Mandarin speech tones from brain surface signals in people with speech problems
Tests decoding imagined Mandarin speech from brain electrodes in adults with neurological conditions.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Chinese-Specific Speech Imagery Coding Using High-Density ECoG
Key facts
- Where
- Hangzhou, ChinaSee the site
AI summary: who the study is looking for
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.
The trial is looking for adults aged 20 to 80 who need brain-surface electrode placement as part of their care. Two groups: people having awake brain surgery for a tumour or epilepsy, and people with severe speech loss.
- Age
- 20 to 80 years
- Sex
- All sexes
- Disease stage
- Temporary electrode group: glioma in or next to speech, movement or memory areas, or drug-resistant epilepsy, having awake surgery, with mild mass effect and language mostly preserved (naming, reading and understanding at 80% or more of normal). Permanent implant group: severe speech or language problems from stroke, brain tumour, ALS or locked-in syndrome, severe dysarthria or severe motor aphasia, for more than 12 months.
- Earlier treatment
- Permanent implant group: no real improvement after 3 to 6 months of good rehabilitation.
Main reasons for not taking part
- Severe mass effect with high pressure in the head that rules out awake surgery or electrodes
- Cannot have an MRI scan or awake surgery (for example incompatible implanted devices, severe claustrophobia, sleep apnoea)
- Severe psychiatric illness or memory and thinking problems (Mini-Mental State Examination score under 24)
- Severe other medical conditions
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
Read by machine on 9 November 2026.
Could this be for you?
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 20 and 80 years old?
Source: NCT07460037, who can take part
Where in China
- The Second Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhou, ChinaContact: Feng Yan, MD, PhDTaking people
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorTrial details
- Who runs it
- Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, School of Medicine
- Trial code
- NCT07460037
- Record updated
- 10 March 2026
- Original description
The goal of this study is to investigate whether high-density electrocorticography (ECoG) signals recorded from the surface of the brain can be used to decode neural representations of Mandarin Chinese speech features, including lexical tone, without requiring overt speech movements. The study focuses on the development and evaluation of decoding algorithms based on neural activity recorded during clinically indicated neurosurgical procedures.Read full original descriptionShow less
Investigation of Chinese-Specific Speech Imagery Encoding and Decoding Using High-Density Electrocorticography
The goal of this study is to investigate whether high-density electrocorticography (ECoG) signals recorded from the surface of the brain can be used to decode neural representations of Mandarin Chinese speech features, including lexical tone, without requiring overt speech movements. The study focuses on the development and evaluation of decoding algorithms based on neural activity recorded during clinically indicated neurosurgical procedures.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
Can high-density ECoG signals be decoded to reconstruct neural representations of Mandarin Chinese speech features, particularly lexical tone?
Can neural activity recorded during silent auditory speech imagery be decoded to reconstruct tone-specific speech representations without actual articulation?
The study includes two groups of adult patients with neurological conditions who require cortical electrode placement as part of clinically indicated care:
A intraoperative high-density ECoG temporary coverage group, enrolling approximately 50 patients with functional-area glioma or drug-resistant epilepsy who undergo awake neurosurgery with temporary high-density ECoG coverage for clinical functional mapping.
A permanent high-density ECoG implantation group, enrolling approximately 10 patients with severe speech or language impairment caused by neurological conditions such as stroke, brain tumors, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or locked-in syndrome, who receive permanent high-density cortical electrode implantation for long-term monitoring.
Participants will:
Complete preoperative clinical assessments as part of standard medical care, including brain imaging, language function evaluation, and routine neurological assessments
Undergo clinically indicated awake neurosurgical procedures during which high-density ECoG electrodes are placed on the cortical surface for clinical functional localization
Perform language-related tasks, such as listening to speech, imagining speech, and limited spoken responses, while brain electrical activity is recorded for approximately 20-30 minutes during surgery, without altering standard surgical procedures
For participants in the permanent implantation group, participate in long-term follow-up visits approximately every 2 weeks or monthly for up to 12 months after surgery, including evaluation of signal quality and research-related analysis and optimization of decoding algorithms
All surgical procedures involving temporary or permanent electrode placement are performed for clinical indications and have been approved through institutional ethical and scientific review. Participation in this study does not alter standard clinical care for the temporary recording group and does not require additional clinical procedures beyond routine treatment.
This research aims to support the long-term development of silent brain-to-speech communication technologies for individuals with severe speech or motor impairments and to improve understanding of how frontal, parietal, and temporal brain regions represent imagined speech in tonal languages such as Mandarin Chinese.
Inclusion: Age between 20 and 80 years; Ability and willingness to provide informed consent and comply with study procedures; No severe preoperative emotional or consciousness disorders that would preclude participation in experimental tasks; For patients undergoing intraoperative temporary high-density ECoG coverage: Patients with cerebral eloquent-area gliomas or refractory epilepsy undergoing awake craniotomy as part of standard clinical management; For patients undergoing intraoperative temporary high-density ECoG coverage: Lesions involving or adjacent to eloquent brain areas including language, motor, or memory-related regions; For patients undergoing intraoperative temporary high-density ECoG coverage: Mild mass effect without severe intracranial hypertension; For patients undergoing intraoperative temporary high-density ECoG coverage: Preoperative language function largely preserved, with naming, reading, and language comprehension ≥80% of normal performance; For patients undergoing permanent high-density ECoG implantation: Severe speech or language dysfunction caused by stroke, brain tumors, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or locked-in syndrome; For patients undergoing permanent high-density ECoG implantation: No substantial improvement after 3-6 months of adequate rehabilitation and disease duration >12 months; For patients undergoing permanent high-density ECoG implantation: Structural integrity of speech imagery-related cortices (ventral central lobule, supramarginal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, and inferior frontal gyrus); For patients undergoing permanent high-density ECoG implantation: Diagnosis of severe dysarthria or severe motor aphasia, with spontaneous speech score <5/20 on the Aphasia Battery of Chinese (ABC) and auditory comprehension ≥80% of normal levels.
Exclusion: Significant mass effect with severe intracranial hypertension precluding awake craniotomy or electrode implantation; Severe neurological dysfunction that would prevent participation in study procedures (except for speech or language impairment in the permanent implantation cohort); Contraindications to MRI scanning or awake craniotomy, including incompatible implanted medical devices, severe claustrophobia, or obstructive sleep apnea syndrome; Severe psychiatric disorders or cognitive impairment preventing participation in treatment or follow-up assessments (Mini-Mental State Examination score <24); Severe systemic medical comorbidities; Pregnancy or lactation; Refusal or inability to provide informed consent.