Neuralink implants its first BCI device into a human patient

Neuralink, which was founded in 2016, is a neurotech company that works with BCI technology. This technology uses electronic implants to decode brain activity and transmit it to computers, and researchers hope BCI devices will be able to help restore function in people with paralysis and other debilitating conditions.

Last year, Neuralink gained FDA approval to begin its first human clinical trials and began recruiting patients a few months later. Eligible patients included those with quadriplegia caused by a cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

The first trial is part of the company's PRIME Study, which stands for Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface. In the trial, patients will have a BCI surgically implanted into the area of the brain that controls motor function. The device will then record brain signals and send them to an app that researchers hope will "grant people the ability to control a computer cursor or keyboard using their thoughts alone."

On Monday, Musk announced the company had implanted its first BCI device into a human. According to Musk, the patient received the device on Sunday and was "recovering well." He also noted that "[i]nitial results show promising neuron spike detection."

The device, which will be called Telepathy, will initially be used by patients who are unable to use their limbs. "Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or auctioneer," Musk said. "That is the goal."

Commentary

Currently, at least 42 people worldwide have received BCI implants. Other companies working with BCI technology include Synchron, Precision Neuroscience, and Blackrock Neurotech.

 "The idea of brain-nervous system interfaces has great potential to help people with neurological disorders in future," said Tara Spires-Jones, president of the British Neuroscience Association. "However, most of these interfaces require invasive neurosurgery and are still in experimental stages thus it will likely be many years before they are commonly available."

Although many companies are focused primarily on therapeutic uses for BCI, Musk has said he wants the technology to be used more broadly to enhance human function. "In the long term, Neuralink hopes to play a role in AI risk civilizational risk reduction by improving human to AI (and human to human) bandwidth by several orders of magnitude," Musk said in September.

Allan McCay, a fellow at the University of Sydney's Law School who studies ethical issues related to developing neurotechnologies, said the idea of cognitive enhancement is concerning. "A society where some people are cognitively enhanced and others aren't could create a class divide like nothing ever," he said.

However, McCay also noted that neurotechnology could be beneficial, with some potential applications including treatment for severe depression, epilepsy, and locked-in syndrome. "You can get a gloomy lawyer like me moaning on about the ethics, but it's important to remember the enormous upsides," McCay said. "Neurotechnology might alleviate quite a lot of human suffering."

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