News by Levels · Level 1 · Student worksheet

Patients Change a Sound With Brain Signals

Name: __________________________ Date: __________________

Read the story

Columbia researchers tested 41 patients with serious brain injuries who could not respond normally. About one in three learned to change a beeping sound using brain signals.

Wires on the head recorded the signals. This is an early step towards communication, not a cure.

Source: Columbia University Irving Medical Center; Brain, 2026-10-22. https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/brain-computer-interface-may-give-unresponsive-icu-patients-voice

Read and practise

1. Did every patient control the sound?

   1. Yes, all 41 did
   2. No, about one in three did
   3. No patient changed it

2. Where were the recording wires?

   1. Inside an implanted brain chip
   2. Inside a moving hand
   3. On the head

Your turn

Describe one result and one thing this test does not prove.

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Read online: https://newsbylevels.com/news/columbia-brain-interface-beeping-study-october-2026/level-1/