Reconstructing Unseen Sentences from Speech-related Biosignals for Open-vocabulary Neural Communication

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the feasibility of reconstructing unseen sentences from EEG and EMG biosignals for open-vocabulary neural communication, advancing personalized speech neuroprosthetics.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to decode and synthesize speech from biosignals for previously unseen sentences, enabling open-vocabulary neural communication.

Findings

Biosignal-based sentence synthesis is feasible for unseen sentences.

Phoneme decoding accuracy depends on signal properties.

Neurophysiological insights improve EEG decoding effectiveness.

Abstract

Brain-to-speech (BTS) systems represent a groundbreaking approach to human communication by enabling the direct transformation of neural activity into linguistic expressions. While recent non-invasive BTS studies have largely focused on decoding predefined words or sentences, achieving open-vocabulary neural communication comparable to natural human interaction requires decoding unconstrained speech. Additionally, effectively integrating diverse signals derived from speech is crucial for developing personalized and adaptive neural communication and rehabilitation solutions for patients. This study investigates the potential of speech synthesis for previously unseen sentences across various speech modes by leveraging phoneme-level information extracted from high-density electroencephalography (EEG) signals, both independently and in conjunction with electromyography (EMG) signals. Furthermore, we examine the properties affecting phoneme decoding accuracy during sentence reconstruction and offer neurophysiological insights to further enhance EEG decoding for more effective neural communication solutions. Our findings underscore the feasibility of biosignal-based sentence-level speech synthesis for reconstructing unseen sentences, highlighting a significant step toward developing open-vocabulary neural communication systems adapted to diverse patient needs and conditions. Additionally, this study provides meaningful insights into the development of communication and rehabilitation solutions utilizing EEG-based decoding technologies.