Neuralink's Trial is Going ...Well

In the past few years, Elon Musk’s company, Neuralink, has been working on a brain implant to help paralyzed people communicate with devices using their thoughts. The implant is called a Brain-Computer Interface (BCI); the chip records brain activity to control softwares with their thoughts. The BCI is still in the early stages, but Neuralink plans to make this implant able to restore brain communication for millions around the world in the future. 

The BCI has been researched massively by scientists all over the world since the late 19th century; however, trials started in the 1970’s. Scientists started to experiment on animals like monkeys to develop a form of communication to external environments. Later, in the 1990’s, the first ever human trial was conducted. 

BCI are implanted in the brain, and they record and process neural signals to transmit them to an external device which allows for control and communication. The implants are targeted towards people with paralysis. The BCI chip is meant to connect regions of the brain that control muscle function, and those connections could help regain communication. BCI’s are still largely experimental, with only about 40 implants placed in people’s brains around the world. 

Neurolinks N1 Implant

Neuralink created a version of the BCI chip, they call it the N1 Implant. It is designed as a quarter-sized implant with 64 flexible threads that connect to 1,024 strands of electrodes that record the brain’s activity. These strands of electrodes are “thinner than a human hair,” and they are placed independently throughout the brain. Because of the size of the threads, this makes the implant incapable of being placed in by hand. Neuralink has created a robot, the R1 Robot, to perform the surgery and place these threads throughout the brain connecting to neurons which control movement. The implant is placed in the motor cortex, the part of the brain that controls motion, under the scalp so it is invisible from the outside. 

The N1 Implant records and processes neural data and wirelessly transmits the information to the Neuralink Application, which can be installed on a phone or computer.. The Application translates this information into actions like cursor movements. Essentially, the user can control devices by thinking about the movement they would like to carry out. The implant is rechargeable by the N1 Charger, which wirelessly charges the battery of the N1 implant. 

Neuralink’s first human clinical trial, The PRIME Study (Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface) is for people living with quadriplegia (paralysis of all four limbs) who want to evaluate the safety and functionality of the N1 implant and the R1 Robot. In May of 2023, Neuralink got approval from the FDA to launch their first in-human clinical trial and in September of that year, they started to recruit for their study. Neuralink is recruiting individuals with quadriplegia due to a spinal cord injury (SCI) or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal disease of the nerves in the spinal cord and brainstem which control voluntary movement. Elon Musk disclosed in an interview that “We’ve got now three patients, three humans with Neuralinks implanted, and they are all working…well,” he also added that they hope to do 20 or 30 more patients in 2025.

Noland Arbaugh: Neuralink's first human trial recipient

In January 2024, the first ever human trial of Neuralink was conducted on Noland Arbaugh, a man from Arizona who suffered a SCI when he was just 22-years old. He lived with quadriplegia for over 8 years before he heard about Elon Musk’s company, Neuralink. A few months later, Noland agreed to the surgery, he risked infections, brain hemorrhage (internal bleeding in the brain), and brain damage. The surgery was performed at Barrow Neurological Institute in Arizona, and reportedly it went very well. Noland was able to go home the next day and his recovery has gone very smoothly. Now, Noland is able to communicate with his family and live a very simple life. 

Neuralink is not the only company who has big plans for Brain Computer Interface. These companies intend to use the BCI to change the world. The BCI chip could help millions of paralyzed people around the world. The chip could potentially be used for military use (in drones) and exploring regions of the brain. 

Although this implant allows people living with quadriplegia to interact with the people around them, there are some downsides to having this implant. Recipients of the implant can’t have an MRI in the future or have an active implanted device like a pacemaker. Also, there are many risks that come with the surgery, including brain damage, internal bleeding, infection, as well as decline in cognitive function, like the ability to focus and concentrate. 

Brain-Computer Interfaces are an amazing tool that allow for communication and control of outside devices with their thoughts. Neuralink has made their version of the implant, and it has already helped three people living with quadriplegia. Neuralink’s goal for their Brain-Computer Interface is to help millions of people with unfulfilled medical needs.