Malfunction In Brain Implant In Initial Human Trial Reported For Elon Musk’s Neuralink

Neuralink, Elon Musk‘s startup focused on developing brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), announced on Wednesday that part of its brain implant malfunctioned in its first-ever use in a human patient.

The Neuralink system, known as the Link, is designed to enable individuals with paralysis to control external devices using their thoughts. It utilizes a network of 1,024 electrodes, spread across 64 ultra-thin threads thinner than a human hair, to record neural signals, as stated on the company’s website.

In January, Neuralink implanted the Link device into a 29-year-old patient, Noland Arbaugh, as part of a safety study. In March, the company streamed a live video that showed Arbaugh using the BCI, and in an April blog post, Neuralink described the surgery as a success.

In a recent blog post, Neuralink revealed that several threads had retracted from Arbaugh’s brain weeks after the surgery. This resulted in a decrease in the number of functioning electrodes, hindering the company’s ability to measure the speed and accuracy of the Link system accurately.

Neuralink did not disclose the exact number of threads that retracted.

According to the blog post, to address the issue, Neuralink modified the recording algorithm, improved the user interface and worked to enhance the translation of neural signals into cursor movements. Although the company considered removing the implant, it was determined that the problem did not pose a direct risk to Arbaugh’s safety. 

Despite the retraction of some threads, Arbaugh continues using the Neuralink BCI system for approximately eight hours per day throughout weekdays and up to ten hours on weekends, as mentioned in the blog post. Arbaugh has described the Link as a luxury that has allowed him to reconnect with the world.

While Neuralink is at the forefront of BCI development, other companies and academic institutions have explored this technology for several decades.

Neuralink still faces significant challenges regarding safety and efficacy testing before it can seek approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to commercialize the technology.

Musk has faced many setbacks in the last year. After taking over Twitter and rebranding it X, the platform has lost 70% of its value, according to tax filings.