How can someone give informed consent to a brain-computer interface when they can barely communicate? · Grey Matter

The people a brain-computer interface could help most, those with ALS, brainstem stroke or locked-in syndrome, may communicate only through eye movements, letter boards or a carer, slowly and with effort.

How can someone give informed consent to a brain-computer interface when they can barely communicate?

The people a brain-computer interface could help most, those with ALS, brainstem stroke or locked-in syndrome, may communicate only through eye movements, letter boards or a carer, slowly and with effort. Their capacity to decide is usually intact, so the task is to give them enough time, accessible formats and independent support to understand the risks and to ask questions, and to check understanding as the study goes on. Reviews of neural device research add that strong hopes for benefit, and dependence on the research team for care, make it especially important to state plainly that early studies test safety first and to agree what happens to the device afterwards.