A tiny implant placed in a Michigan woman’s brain is now carrying a very big question. Can a fully implanted, wireless device give speech back to people who are losing it? Doctors at University of Michigan Health have completed the first human implant of Paradromics’ Connexus brain-computer interface. This system is designed for people who can no longer speak clearly because of neurological disease or injury. The participant in the new study struggles to speak because of motor neuron disease. The early goal is not a dramatic recovery story. Instead, it is something more careful and more important at this stage. The goal is to prove the device can remain safe over time. Also, researchers want to show whether brain signals can be turned into synthesized text and speech, and used to control a computer. Matthew Willsey, a neurosurgeon and biomedical engineer at U-M Health, led the implant surgery as site principal investigator. Aditya S. Pandey, chair of the health system’s Department of Neurosurgery, also took part in the procedure. Dr. Matthew Willsey connects the …