The business purportedly received approval from the FDA for a second treatment.
In the future, Neuralink will have the capability to surgically implant its gadget into the brain of another patient. A number of months after Noland Arbaugh became the first person to receive the brain implant, the Wall Street Journal reported that the business has been given permission to proceed with a second treatment.
According to statements made by Elon Musk the previous week, the business was “accepting applications for the second participant” in the competition. With the intention of introducing the technology to people who suffer from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), spinal cord injuries, or other disorders that cause quadriplegia, the business started recruiting possible volunteers for its first clinical trial approximately a year ago.
Redefining the boundaries of human capability requires pioneers.
— Neuralink (@neuralink) May 16, 2024
If you have quadriplegia and want to explore new ways of controlling your computer, we invite you to participate in our clinical trial. pic.twitter.com/svqfAkVV1M
According to reports, Neuralink has also developed a potential solution to a problem that prevented Arbaugh’s implant from functioning properly approximately one month after he underwent surgery. In an announcement made earlier this month, the business stated that the problem was caused by some of the implant’s threads “retracting from the brain.” According to a subsequent statement made by Arbaugh to Bloomberg, software updates have since restored a significant number of those functions. Arbaugh, who is paralyzed from the neck down, has been seen in videos that Neuralink has provided performing a variety of actions, including playing chess, controlling a music player app, and other things.
In a second treatment, Neuralink reportedly informed the FDA that it would embed the implant’s threads deeper into the patient’s brain in order to prevent them from moving as much as they did in Arbaugh’s instance. This information was reported by The Journal. It would appear that the FDA is completely on board with the adjustments. It is said that the company intends to finish the second procedure in the month of June, and they have received more than one thousand people who have signed up for the opportunity to take part in the study.