by The Neuralink logo displayed on a phone screen, a paper silhouette in the shape of a human face and binary code displayed on a screen are seen in this multi-exposure rendering photo taken in Krakow, Poland on December 10, 2021. Credit – Photo by Jakub Porzycki/Getty Images
Elon Musk announced Monday that the first person has received a brain implant through his startup Neuralink – marking a new step forward for the company and its goal of connecting the human brain to computers.
“The first person received an implant from @Neuralink yesterday and it’s doing well,” Musk announced in a post on X on Monday afternoon. “Preliminary neuron spike detection results show promise.”
Neuralink’s current trial, called the PRIME Study, is focused on the ability of individuals with quadriplegia to control external devices with their thoughts. Experts in the field say the technology, known as brain-computer interface (BCI), has a wide range of potential applications, particularly for those with disabilities.
“I think that, at least in the near future, it can revolutionize the way people with sensory or motor deficits can interact with the environment and live more independently,” says Xing Chen, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Ireland. Pittsburgh, which focuses its work on BCIs.
Control technology with your mind
BCIs have already demonstrated their ability to help individuals control technology with their thoughts – allowing paralyzed patients to control a robotic arm or move a cursor. One recent trial even allowed a person to control a video game with their mind, says Anne Vanhoestenberghe, Professor of Active Implantable Medical Devices at Kings College, London.
“The person is trained and the system is trained and the two work together,” says Vanhostenberghe. “These repeatable patterns are associated with actions such as opening an app, clicking, perhaps moving a cursor up and down.”
Mood control
Musk has long argued that Neuralink could be used to help individuals regulate their moods and hormones, which could be well within the potential capabilities researchers envision for the BCI technology, says Chen. It’s an advance that could be very useful for those with OCD or treatment-resistant depression, although more research is needed until it becomes available. “Right now, for example, Neuralink doesn’t go very deep into the brain,” Chen says, noting that another treatment used to treat depression, deep brain stimulation (DBS), targets an area of the brain that is deeper. than Neuralink and other BCIs. can be achieved at the moment. “The targets of DBS are much deeper in the brain.”
Vanhoestenberghe says researchers are also trying to understand whether the technology can be used to address potential mental and cognitive processes associated with obesity.
Risks of implants
Getting an implant comes with risks. Some are normal surgical risks – such as excessive bleeding or infection. Others are unique. For example, the brain simulation associated with BCIs can trigger epileptiform activity, a precursor to epilepsy, or seizures. (Neuralink did not immediately respond to TIME’s request for comment on the potential risks of implantation.)
The procedure also has potential long-term risks to ensure the implant continues to function over time. “If it goes well, the risk is to think about the device and the technology and how stable they are in the long run,” says Vanhoestenberghe, noting that the company could try reject the implant. “Our bodies are very good at protecting ourselves from invasive things.”
Due to the high – and still largely unknown – risks associated with the implant, the process is unlikely to be undertaken by anyone who could benefit from the treatment, such as those with incurable conditions on them.
“Everyone who participates in a clinical trial understands these risks, and they take these risks, always hoping that the benefit is not so much for themselves, but for the future generations who live with the condition,” a says Vanhostenberghe.
Widely accepted of brain implants?
Neuralink’s call for volunteers might sound like something out of a sci-fi novel: “The device is designed to interpret a person’s neural activity, so they can operate a computer or smartphone by thinking about movement – no wires or physical movement required, ” said the company.
But despite the futuristic base, experts say that the technology is far from being widely adopted anytime soon. “This is a technology that aims to help those with the greatest level of impairment. It is not intended to feed the general public or the average gifted person and that is a very important distinction,” says Chen.
It’s not happening anytime soon that the technology could be used to allow companies to read their minds or users to download their memories—although the future is still wide open. “We’re not going to have a participant where the device is implanted into someone and then we can read their mind—at least, not in my lifetime,” Vanhoestenberghe says.
Write to Simmone Shah at simmone.shah@time.com.
