Without Surgery: A Technique Gives Brain Injury Patients New Hope for Communication

Researchers at Columbia University in the US have developed a non-invasive brain-computer interface technology that enabled 13 out of 41 clinically unresponsive patients to control audio tones using only their brain signals, without implants or surgery.

Researchers at Columbia University in the US have developed a non-invasive brain-computer interface technology that enabled about a third of patients who appeared unconscious and unable to respond to doctors to control electronic sounds using only their brain signals, an achievement that may open the door to developing means of communication for those with severe brain injuries. The study, published on October 22, 2026, in the journal "Brain," a specialized neuroscience publication, showed that 13 out of 41 clinically unresponsive patients were able to control the frequency of audio tones after brief training, without the need for electronic chip implants or surgical interventions. The researchers conducted experiments on patients in intensive care units, a few days after their hospital admission due to severe brain injuries, using electrodes placed on the scalp to record the brain's electrical activity. The technology relies on a computer program that analyzes brain signals in real time and converts them into commands that control the speed and frequency of tones, enabling the detection of patients' attempts to follow instructions, even when they show no physical response observable by doctors. The lead researcher of the study, Jan Claassen, professor of neurology at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University, said that research over the past decade has shown that a number of patients who appear to be in a coma after severe brain injuries retain degrees of consciousness, despite being unable to speak or move their limbs and eyes to communicate with others.