The technology behind Neuralink is still largely speculative. While Neuralink says it will cure neurological diseases, these claims are based on experimental data, not science. The company is in the early stages of engineering super-dense electrode technology for brain implants. While this technology is highly speculative, it’s not the first company to believe in brain implants.
Researchers first implanted probes into the brains of paralyzed individuals in the late 1990s. It was later found that the signals from these implants allowed computers and robot arms to move. The technology also works in mice, which can see infrared rays.
While these electrode implants have shown promising results, it is still too early to predict the long-term effects of the technology. While it’s possible that Neuralink will be able to improve mental health, it’s not a cure for ALS. In fact, it may make the treatment of ALS much more difficult. Currently, no drug is effective at treating ALS. Its limited effectiveness is also an obstacle to further adoption.
While the Neuralink team has shown glimpses of the technology, they have yet to provide evidence that it can actually cure any disease. While the technology is still in the early stages of development, the team has placed electrodes in rat brains, monkeys, and primates. If Neuralink succeeds, these implants will be placed in human skulls within the next few years. The company has hired trial directors to optimize the chance of approval.
While Neuralink is currently conducting clinical trials, it has been plagued by internal tensions. According to former employees, the company culture is chaotic. Scientific talent is quickly cycled out of the company. Meanwhile, the company has also explored ways to bypass the U.S. regulatory process through the conduct of human trials in China and Russia. If it succeeds in that endeavor, it could have a positive effect on mental health.
If Neuralink proves successful, it could benefit a variety of neurological conditions. ALS is a prime candidate, as it’s caused by a lack of oxygen and nutrients to the brain. People with severe disabilities like autism can also benefit from this technology, which has already been used to treat traumatic brain injuries. Several cases of autism have improved significantly. But how far away is Neuralink from becoming a reality?
In addition to improving human movement, Neuralink may also help people with disabilities regain limb function. The device may be able to repair memory loss caused by Alzheimer’s disease, stop epilepsy attacks, and fix speech impediments and facial muscle control after stroke. Musk showed the technology in pigs during a recent online presentation. If the technology is successful in pigs, humans could begin testing within a year.
The technology is still a ways off from its final goal, but there are promising results. In the meantime, scientists and doctors are trying to refine the technology, but neuroscience hasn’t caught up with Neuralink’s ambitious ambitions. Elon Musk has promised to create a brain-computer interface, but this is still a long way off from becoming a practical reality. Neuralink’s surgical implantation devices are a technical wonder, but engineers have come up against a steep learning curve.
While a Neuralink implant has about 1,000 channels, it can likely read neurons with a similar number of neurons. Then, as Musk aims for more neural connections to make the system more advanced, he wants to scale up the device and increase its reading capacity. That means the implant’s data bandwidth must be increased. Recording information from 1,000 electrodes generates a lot of data. In addition to this, Neuralink must compress that information before relaying it over Bluetooth.
As the Neuralink implant is being tested on pigs, scientists are also working on the development of non-implanted devices. Those implanted with Neuralink chips can control their limbs. These devices can also detect changes in the brain, including pressure and temperature. That data can alert people to a heart attack or stroke. Another major benefit is that the Neuralink device is portable and wireless.