In March 2024, Elon Musk's Neuralink introduced the world to the first person with a chip implanted in the brain. A 29-year-old paralyzed man named Noland Arbaugh became the first patient to participate in the experimental treatment.
100 days after the operation to implant the chip, Neuralink released a software update for it. This is due to the fact that the patient’s brain began to reject the implant.
Neuralink initially said the update was necessary to speed up the chip. However, it later became known that it was also supposed to solve the problem of loss of contact of some electrodes with the brain.
According to Neuralink representatives, some of the chip's electrodes stopped interacting with the brain, which led to a decrease in the speed of reading impulses.
Experts interviewed by the media suggested that the electrodes may have become detached from the brain due to the natural movements of the brain inside the skull. The brain is surrounded by cerebrospinal fluid, which acts as a shock absorber, protecting it from shock and sudden movements. Thus, even a sharp nod of the head can lead to a loss of communication between the chip and the brain.
It is worth noting that such problems did not arise in the animals on which the implants were tested. This is because their brains are smaller and have less range of motion in the skull. This is reported by gazeta.ru with reference to the company’s official blog.
