# Neural control of speech generation in human motor cortex

> **NIH NIH K23** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 2024 · $196,560

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Dr. Rubin is a neurointensivist and computational neuroscientist working at Massachusetts General Hospital
whose goal is to become an independent physician investigator with expertise in the development of novel
neurotechnologies to improve the lives of people living with the symptoms of disabling neurologic disease and
injury. His career development plan leverages the resources of a world-class training environment and brings
together experts in neural decoding, systems and circuit neuroscience, and neural engineering in proposing a
cutting-edge approach to the study of the neural basis of speech generation to enable the next generation of
high-performance intracortical brain computer interfaces (iBCI) for communication.
Under the mentorship of Drs. Leigh Hochberg and Sydney Cash and with the guidance of scientific advisors Drs.
Emery Brown, Jaimie Henderson, and Kristina Simonyan, Dr. Rubin proposes to (1) determine the features of
the neural code in motor cortex specific to the production of individual spoken words, (2) characterize the
influence of semantic and non-semantic context on the neural representation of intended speech, and (3) identify
the operations translating neural representations of language in association cortex into the patterns of neural
activity in motor cortex that coordinate the production of speech. Each of these aims will require the development
and application of novel computational tools, bringing together recent advancements in fields of single unit and
circuit-level neurophysiology, systems and computational neuroscience, machine learning, and natural language
processing. The overall goal of this project is to elucidate key features of the neurophysiologic basis of speech
production to enable the development of near-fluent restoration of communication through the implementation
of an iBCI able to decode in real time a user’s intended or attempted speech. In doing so, this work is poised to
transform the lives of hundreds of thousands of people living deficits in communication due to neurologic injury
or disease.
By harnessing the state-of-the-art approaches in human intracranial recording developed by the BrainGate
research consortium, and with his team of mentors and advisors with a diverse array of relevant expertise, this
project will also generate new insights into the neurophysiologic basis of a uniquely human behavior,
representing a potentially major neuroscientific advancement. In the long term, Dr. Rubin’s career goal is to
develop novel neurotechnology aimed alleviating the symptoms of and augmenting recovery from neurologic
disease. The proposed patient-oriented research project, in concert with world-class mentorship and a thoughtful
structured didactic curriculum, will provide Dr. Rubin with the skills that are essential for him to develop an
independent career in translational neurotechnology research.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10890159
- **Project number:** 5K23DC021297-02
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** DANIEL B RUBIN
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $196,560
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-08-01 → 2028-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10890159

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10890159, Neural control of speech generation in human motor cortex (5K23DC021297-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10890159. Licensed CC0.

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