Elon Musk's brain implant company Neural connection chose Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona as the initial research site to test its Telepathy device.
The first participant in Neuralink's study, Noah Arbaugh, experienced one Successful procedure at the hospital in January to have the device implanted. Known as one brain-computer interface, or BCI, this technology aims to translate brain signals into commands that control a computer or other external device. Neuralink's goal is to enable paralyzed people to use a cursor or keyboard using only their thoughts.
In March, Arbaugh demonstrated its ability to use the system during a brief livestream on social media platform X. A diving accident eight years ago left Arbaugh paralyzed from the shoulders down. In the video, he uses a computer to play chess online. He said he also uses the Neuralink interface to play video games Civilization.
“We chose to partner with Barrow based on their extensive expertise in caring for patients with complex neurological conditions,” Neuralink said in a recent blog post. Barrow offers his own Press Release also announced cooperation. The institute currently has more than 300 clinical trials underway and performs approximately 6,000 neurosurgeries each year. When reached by email, a spokesperson for Barrow said the institute is not conducting interviews at this time. Neuralink did not respond to a request for comment.
Neural connection has been criticized for not publishing any peer-reviewed research or listing his research on ClinicalTrials.gov, an online repository for research involving human subjects. Instead, updates about the test have emerged from social media posts by Neuralink or by Musk, the company's co-founder, himself. The company has published one leaflet last fall provides some details about the study, including basic information about how the device works and who is eligible to participate. The trial site announcement, Arbaugh's livestreamed performance and Neuralink's recent blog post fill in some of those gaps.
The study will evaluate the safety and initial effectiveness of the Neuralink device. It is for adults with quadriplegia due to longitudinal spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis who are 22 years of age or older and have a caregiver. According to Barrow's statement, an initial review of the safety and usability of the Neuralink system will be submitted to the FDA in the coming months.
According to Neuralink's promotional materials, the study will take about six years to complete. A surgical robot developed by Neuralink will install the implant into the area of the brain that controls movement intention. The coin-sized implant reads neural activity from 1,024 electrodes distributed across 64 fibers. Those signals are sent wirelessly to a device running Neuralink's software, which then decodes them into movements.
Neuralink has come up with one patient registration for people with paralysis who want to find out if they are eligible to participate in research. The company said it is still in the early stages of the study and plans to provide more updates on Arbaugh and the participants in the future.
