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Scientists have now found, in a new study, that the brain can speak. This they feel could give a huge fillip to paralysed persons, giving them the ability to convey their thoughts. A group of researchers at the University of Utah in the US converted brain signals into words using two grids of 16 microelectrodes implanted beneath the skull but on top of the brain, according to The Journal of Neural Engineering.

In their study, the scientists showed how to translate brain signals into computer-spoken words. They placed grids of minute microelectrodes over ‘speech centres’ in the brain of a volunteer with severe epilepsy. "We have decoded words with the help of signals from the brain with a device that can pave the way for long-term use by paralysed patients who cannot speak,” said scientist Bradley Greger.

As the method is still in its nascent stages, it will take around two years before clinical trials are conducted on paralysed people.

With the help of experimental microelectrodes, the scientists recorded brain signals as the patient read 10 words that paralysed persons are likely to find useful - yes, no, hot, cold, hungry, thirsty, hello, goodbye, more and less.

They then found that the words ‘yes’ and ‘no’ could be distinguished almost 90 per cent of the time. However, when the scientists examined all 10 brain signal patterns together, they were able to pick out the correct word only 28 per cent to 48 per cent of the time. This reveals that a beginning has been made but a lot more research needs to be done to let a paralysed person communicate.

“This proves the concept. We’ve have shown that these signals can tell you what the person is saying in most of the cases. But we need to decipher more words to make it useful for a patient. People who could benefit from the device, that converts thoughts into computer words, are persons with paralytic stroke, Lou Gehrig’s disease and trauma,” Greger added.

The study can detect only two words - yes and no - with near perfection and this is not adequate to draw any conclusion. So, we could actually be still miles away before infering that the brain speaks.