Neuralink’s First Brain-Implant Patient Demonstrates How Brain Chip Works Despite Reported Setbacks

(Photo : Pexels/ Weverton Oliveira)

The first patient who received Neuralink's brain chip implant shares how 'amazing' and 'rewarding' it feels to receive the clinical trial of the new technology.

Issues Encountered by the Brain Implant

Last January, a quadriplegic man named Noland Arbaugh became the first patient to receive Neuralink's brain implant chip called "The Link." The 30-year-old man became paralyzed from his shoulders down after experiencing a spinal cord injury from an accident.

The company's brain-computer interface allowed him to play Nintendo, navigate a computer cursor, and perform other tasks all just by his thoughts alone. However, there are still technical issues which affect the functioning of the brain chip.

A report on the Neuralink trial reveals that around 85% of the chip's connection to the brain has come loose. This forces the tech company to retool the system on its software.

Naturally, the human brain floats in the cerebrospinal fluid, which protects the organ from injury. According to Arbaugh, the movements of his brain in this fluid have caused the tendril-like connections to loose over time.

However, Neuralink reported that the malfunction likely resulted from air that became trapped in his skull during the surgical procedure. This condition is known as pneumocephalus, and it can lead to seizures, brain abscess, and death if left untreated. The condition caused the threads to detach and almost led to the brain chip being removed.

Still, Elon Musk plans to implant another chip to its second human patient, with threads that go deeper into the brain. This plan has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Benefits of Neuralink's Brain Implant

Before getting the implant, Arbaugh relied on Apple's voice assistant Siri on his iPad to perform tasks like composing text-based written messages and calling his friends. After the installation of the implant, he was able to break a 2017 world record for speed and precision while controlling a computer cursor with his mind.

Arbaugh admitted that the loss of 85% of interconnectivity with the brain implant has become difficult and disappointing for him. Still, he feels proud to play a vital role in improving these breakthrough medical technologies. As a matter of fact, he hopes that "the Link" and other similar devices will one day help other people regain their lost sight, speech or movement.

Neurophysiologist Dr. Cristin Welle argues that Neuralink's plan to install deeper connections between their chips and human brian may encounter other biological obstacles. He said that deeper tendril-threads may still slide out of place or rub along the surface of the brain, potentially increasing the amount of scar tissue.

This possibility can increase the signal loss between the brain and the chip and result in other possible health issues. As such, Welle suggests that the company's soft, connective thread design may need to go back to the initial design and planning stage.

Regardless, Neuralink's first-ever patient still has high hopes for the future of the implant. According to Arbaugh, he looks forward to wider applications of brain-computer interfaces by helping those most in need. He believes that implants like this can enable people to enhance their capabilities as long as humanity will not give up along the way.