The brain implant, developed by Elon Musk’s Neuralink company, will need to be removed from the brain every two to five years, and then a new one inserted, as the device will grow with connective tissue. This was told socialbites.ca by the head of the laboratory of neurophysiology and neuro interfaces of the Faculty of Biology of Moscow State University. MV Lomonosov, Professor Alexander Kaplan, after learning that the FDA has allowed Elon Musk’s company Neuralink to conduct clinical trials on humans.
“The problem of biocompatibility has not been resolved. Over time, the device will be recognized by the body as a foreign object surrounded by connective tissue and will eventually stop working. It will probably need to be replaced every two to five years as you retrain the brain. But there is no longer any doubt about the security of the chip. Its implantation takes place under the control of an automated microscope, which allows the system to be inserted into the cerebral cortex without sacrificing vision or other functions,” Kaplan explained.
The scientist also noted that the new system has undeniable advantages. In Elon Musk’s electrode system, the number of contacts is two to three times higher than in other systems, reaching 100,000. The device will therefore improve the decoding of human intentions, allowing for the creation of neural interfaces to control external devices, such as prosthetic hands with reconstructed fine motor skills. Similar prostheses can be used for people after stroke to restore movement in paralyzed patients.
“Furthermore, the Elon Musk implant could allow paralyzed people to participate fully in life: control their chair for movement, a voice synthesizer, feel in their hands and feet, and even partially regain these senses if they have vision and hearing impairments,” the scientist said. .
There is also hope that Elon Musk’s development will help comatose people who remain conscious. Oftentimes, they are cut off from artificial life support, believing that there is no consciousness, but may not actually be able to manifest it.
But it’s hard to predict how the Neuralink chip will advance basic science, according to Alexander Kaplan, as Elon Musk has yet to show any groundbreaking results in animals.
“Impressions of how monkeys control ping-pong on screen through these contacts preceded Elon Musk. Therefore, we await new results from human studies. However, so far there is no theoretical or experimental ground to expect Musk’s company Neuralink to solve the problem of neuro-interface integration of the human brain with an artificial brain, which underpins the entire project,” Kaplan concluded.