Neuralink, the implantation of a chip in the human brain and the (science fiction) revolution that doesn't exist

The first brain implant installed by Neuralink on a human being it is reality. After various tests carried out in the laboratory – and with the approval of the Food and Drug Administration – the company Elon Musk carried out on Sunday the first operation to insert a chip into the head of a patient with paralysis.

The announcement came from Musk himself, who however did not focus on the details of the intervention, adding only that the voluntary patient is recovering with promising initial results and that we will have to wait a few months to get the first results. According to predictions, through this implanted microchip, man should be able to control a computer cursor with his mind.

In fact, the technological systems developed by Neuralink they have precisely that objective put the human brain in direct communication with a computer. Neural interfaces of this type may represent an important opportunity for patients with paralysis and other debilitating diseases, who may be allowed to partially or fully recover their functionality.

If the experiments are successful and – subject to the supervision of the medical device control authorities – they are safe for patients, Neuralink will be able to request the FDA to authorize the marketing of its revolutionary devices.

A chip in the brain? It's nothing new

But how innovative is there in this latest experiment by Elon Musk and what great “revolutions” can we actually expect in the near future? We talked about it with an expert on the subject, Professor Simone Rossiprofessor of Neurophysiology at the University of Siena – where he also directs the Brain Investigation & Neuromodulation Lab – and author of the essays The electric brain. The challenges of neuromodulation, The artificial body: neuroscience and wearable robots And I & I. Mind, brain and GPTwritten together with the philosopher Riccardo Manzotti.

Which immediately “dismantles” the clamor around the alleged revolutionary experiment led by Musk. «No one knows the technical characteristics of this device because they are announced in the press and not in scientific journals», Rossi explains first of all. «However, it is important to underline that the basic concept is not new: Musk is not the first in the world to make systems of this type. Already 7-8 years ago there were research groups, also in Europe, which implanted electrodes inside the human brain through which to record the electrical activity of neurons – i.e. what is called “oscillatory activity” – and use this activity, through quite complex steps, to drive external devices for example. Or to try to restore motility to a patient suffering from a spinal cord injury. From a conceptual point of view, therefore, it is nothing innovative. The neuroscientific community is already well aware of this type of possibility which falls within that great field called Brain-Computer Interface».

So what is the “step forward” that can be attributed to Neuralink?
«Generally speaking, given the unlimited economic possibilities that its founder possesses, Neuralink will certainly be able to offer a notable contribution to the development of research. Musk has been able to equip himself with a pool of researchers who work full time on these areas. They have carried out tests on hundreds of animals, from pigs to monkeys, but the most important innovation is perhaps the new type of implants used, electrodes that are technologically very advanced and capable of being perfectly biocompatible with brain tissue. All information, however, which does not come from specialized scientific journals and therefore subjected to peer review processes, but which mostly aims at an impact aimed at marketing”.

In any case, is this experimentation more of a point of arrival or a starting point?
«More of a starting point. Because Musk is already talking about neural applications to treat diseases too neurodegenerative diseasespsychiatric diseases, to defend ourselves from Artificial Intelligence, but these are good intentions that are currently very far from reality.”

Do you see no concrete basis for this other kind of experimentation?
“Not at the moment. Also because nothing of what he announces has been subjected to scrutiny by the international neuroscientific community.”

In fact, the new chip designed by Neuralink was implanted on a patient with paralysis. What is the prospect in this regard?
«Again, this is not an innovation. Previously, Professor Silvestro Micera, involved in research both in Switzerland and Italy, has already created a plant of this type. When there is paralysis, it means that the pathways that connect the brain with the muscles have been interrupted, so you can insert all the chips you want into the brain but if a connection is not re-established downstream of the lesion it will not be possible regain mobility of the limbs. Therefore, this experiment can be a first step involving the insertion of a microchip into the brain. Then, in three or four years, it will perhaps be possible to insert a receiver of these neural impulses at the level of the spinal cord and in this way bypass the site of injury. So yes, you can hope to regain some motility; However, I repeat, this perspective has already been implemented by other research groups.”

Not everyone perceived the news of the experimentation conducted by Neuralink as an important medical-scientific progress, but rather as a sort of “manipulation”. Is the effectiveness of this technological evolution science or science fiction?
«I think that certain negative reactions are mainly due to rampant ignorance. Since the end of the 1980s, intracerebral implants of electrodes connected to batteries have been available to improve, for example, the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. They are called “deep brain stimulation interventions” and in Italy they are performed in various centers. They represent a fundamental aid for Parkinson's patients but also for those suffering from drug-resistant epilepsies and some psychiatric diseases. The possibility of carrying out invasive neuromodulation interventions, which involve surgery and the positioning of electrodes inside particular brain structures, is an already consolidated clinical reality.”

Elon Musk also spoke of the desire to develop and implant chips inside the brain to defend us from the onslaught of Artificial Intelligence.
«Well, I would say that the purely science fiction field is here».