Published in the journal Cell, their findings could help people who are unable to audibly speak communicate more easily using brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies that begin translating inner thoughts when a participant says a password inside their head.

“This is the first time we’ve managed to understand what brain activity looks like when you just think about speaking,” says lead author Erin Kunz of Stanford University.

“For people with severe speech and motor impairments, BCIs capable of decoding inner speech could help them communicate much more easily and more naturally.”

BCIs have recently emerged as a tool to help people with disabilities. Using sensors implanted in brain regions that control movement, BCI systems can decode movement-related neural signals and translate them into actions, such as moving a prosthetic hand.