Elon Musk’s Neuralink can solve a lot of brain diseases with a brain chip - Despatch (2024)

FAQs

What diseases will Neuralink cure? ›

This would enable those with spinal cord injuries to move their limbs, and could effectively cure paralysis, blindness, mental illness, and neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's and dementia. The long-term ambition is for the technology to allow humans to compete with artificial intelligence.

Neuralink says its devices can help people with debilitating conditions control external devices. People paralyzed from a stroke, a traumatic brain injury or a spinal cord injury could see the benefits, the company says.

A Neuralink chip is estimated to cost $10,500 (around £8,300) in exams, parts and labour, according to a Bloomberg report. Insurer costs are expected to bump that price up to the $50,000 (£39,000) mark.

And we are nowhere close; the current Neuralink has about 1,000 electrodes implanted in the brain.

The successful development and application of Neuralink could undisputedly lead to major developments in the field of neurology. Neuralink claims the technology has the potential to not only restore the motor function of patients, but also treat disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

The technology, if successful, would combine artificial intelligence with human capabilities through the use of a brain chip. Musk said he hopes it would help treat brain diseases like Parkinson's, dementia and Alzheimer's.

Cons: Surgical risks and safety concerns: The implantation of the Neuralink device requires a surgical procedure, which comes with inherent risks such as infection, bleeding, or damage to brain tissue. Ensuring the safety and reliability of the technology will be a critical consideration.

Physical risks associated with brain surgery

The implantation of Neuralink devices involves brain surgery, carrying significant risks, including infections, bleeding, and damage to brain tissue.

Health risks: Neuralink's technology also poses many health risks that need to be considered before it is used. For example, implanting electrodes into the brain may cause infection or bleeding. The electrical stimulation may also cause seizures or headaches.

Neuralink's device is about the size of a large coin and is designed to be implanted in the skull, with ultra-thin wires going directly into the brain. In its September announcement, Neuralink said the wires would be surgically placed in a region of the brain that controls movement intention.

Can anyone get the Neuralink? ›

Anyone within the United States or Canada who is at least 18 years old and the age of majority in their state or province/territory, who is able to consent, and who has quadriplegia, paraplegia, vision loss, hearing loss, the inability to speak, and/or major limb amputation (affecting above or below the elbow and/or ...

Can you buy Neuralink's stock? Neuralink is not publicly traded on NYSE or NASDAQ in the U.S. To buy Neuralink's stock you need to be an accredited investor. Learn more about how to invest in the private market or register today to get started.

For one, we could theoretically 'live' forever as a disembodied consciousness (or at least until the machines that hosted our virtual minds were destroyed), and continue interacting with our loved ones after they've passed as well.

Theoretically yes. Aging is a biological problem, not a natural constant, and Neuralink aims to help merge the human brain with machines through “brain-machine interfaces”, which would enable humans to maintain their mental functioning as they get older, or regain it after they've experienced an injury.

Not directly. But it's certainly tech on the path to getting us there. Even if it's just to help us to better understand what goes on in that lump of tissue wedged between our ears.

CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors, Elon Musk has claimed that his neurotechnology company Neuralink can 'solve' autism and Schizophrenia with a brain chip. The claim is somewhat out of the ordinary as there is no cure for autism spectrum disorder.

Yes. Neuralink builds on decades of technology aimed at implanting electrodes in human brains to interpret signals and treat conditions such as paralysis, epilepsy and Parkinson's disease. One early device is known as the Utah array, which was first demonstrated in a human in 2004.

Preventing epilepsy

Musk has also speculated that brain implants could be used to control epileptic seizures. He told a podcast in 2020: “If you've got severe epilepsy you could just sort of stop the epilepsy from occurring… detect it in real time and then fire a counter pulse.”

Brain machine interface technology, in which implants create a communication link between the mind and an external computer, has been considered a faraway but potential far-reaching solution for neurological disorders such as Parkinson's or stroke damage.