Neuralink first patient of a brain chip implant and is recovering well. This was stated by the company’s founder, Elon Musk, in his post on Twitter.
He added in the announcement that the first results show promising indicators of neural spikes.
The first human received an implant from @Neuralink yesterday and is recovering well.
Initial results show promising neuron spike detection.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 29, 2024
Spikes are the activity of neurons, which the National Institutes of Health describes as cells that use electrical and chemical signals to transmit information throughout the brain and body. Last year, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the company’s first human trial of the implant, a milestone in the startup’s ambitions to help patients overcome paralysis and a range of neurological conditions.
In September, company representatives announced that they had received permission to recruit participants for human trials. The “ultra-thin” threads of the implants will help transmit signals in the brains of the experiment participants, Neuralink said.
The company was valued at about $5 billion last June, but in late November, four lawmakers asked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate whether Elon Musk misled investors about the safety of his technology after veterinary records showed that problems with the implants in monkeys included paralysis, seizures, and brain swelling.
Elon Musk later wrote on Twitter that “no monkeys died from Neuralink implants,” while adding that the company chose “terminal” monkeys to minimize the risk to the health.
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