Clinical Research Insider Summit No. 11 - English

Brain chips; Neuralink obtains FDA approval to begin human clinical trials

Elon Musk has taken a new step in his career by presenting his new project called Neuralink, a technology that seeks to implement electronic devices in the human brain to establish two-way communication between the mind and technological devices. The device is the size of a coin and measures about 8 millimeters in diameter.

This chip would have the ability to read and write information directly in the brain, which could allow users to control computers, mobile devices, and even vehicles just by thinking about them. Its goal is to help people with paralysis, neurological disorders, spinal cord injuries, and brain conditions. According to Elon Musk, Neuralink’s technology could be used in the future to treat diseases such as epilepsy, depression, and Parkinson’s by allowing doctors to more accurately and efficiently access the human brain.

For the time being, the first applications in humans will be made to improve vision and for people with little or no ability to manage their muscles, and they even promise to connect the Neuralink device to the spinal cord for people with a broken neck. In addition, the device could be used to improve the cognitive capacity of humans to enable them to process complex information faster. So far, they have only conducted tests on animal brains; they shared their success through a video showing a monkey playing a mind-controlled video game.

The Neuralink project has been enthusiastically received by the scientific and technological community, although some experts have raised concerns about the security and privacy of the technology. However, Musk has assured that the technology will be completely secure and that users will have full control over the data collected. Patient recruitment is expected to begin in the coming months.

Clinical Research Insider Editorial