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First patient of Elon Musk's Neuralink implant suffered life-threatening condition during surgery that later caused brain chip to malfunction, report claims
Neuralink's first human trial nearly came to an end after the patients endured a potentially life-threatening condition shortly after the implantation surgery.
A new report has claimed that air became trapped inside Nolan Arbaugh's skull during the operation, a condition known as pneumocephalus that can cause seizures, brain abscess and death if untreated.
The incident reportedly raised concerns among staff who discussed removing the brain implant entirely - but the issue does not appear to be impacting Arbaugh's health.
However, it may have caused the brain chip to malfunction, which Neuralink said Wednesday happened when some of the 64 threads that attach the chip to the brain retracted - resulting in a decrease in the number of effective nodes.
Neuralink's first human trial nearly came to an end after the patients endured a potentially life-threatening condition shortly after the implantation surgery. Nolan Arbaugh received the brain chip more than 100 days ago
Arbaugh suffered a life-changing driving accident whilst working as a camp counselor in 2016, which left him with 'absolutely no feeling' from the shoulders down.
His life changed again on January 28 when he underwent a 30-minute procedure that used a 'sewing machine-like' robot to remove a small chunk of his skull and stitch the chip into his brain.
And Arbaugh has surpassed 100 days of living with the Nueralink chip called Link.
However, The Wall Street Journal has claimed that Musk's company may not have been completely open about the process.
Sources told The Journal that Arbaugh suffered the condition during surgery, which led to the implant potentially being removed.
In a progress update, Neuralink mentioned that some of the threads attached to the chip had retracted from the brain, but the team modified the recording algorithm to be more sensitive to neural population signals.
This resulted in 'improved the techniques to translate these signals into cursor movements, and enhanced the user interface,' reads Neuralink's announcement.
The company was said to be in contact with the Food and Drug Administration about the incident, reporting that the problem had been fixed - a move to ensure Neuralink's two upcoming patients can join the trial.
The 'sewing robot' removes a small chunk of the skull, connects the thread-like electrodes to certain areas of the brain, stitches up the hole and the only visible remains is a scar left behind from the incision
The incident reportedly raised concerns among staff who discussed removing the brain implant entirely - but the issue does not appear to be impacting Arbaugh's health
The company has 10 people in the pipeline for this year.
And while Arbaugh had trouble at the start, he has since being playing video games with friends, posting on X and digitally communicating with the world.
People familiar with the matter said they are still optimistic about the brain chip trials and the problems the technology could solve.
Gav Martell, cofounder of Yonalink, a technology used for collecting and maintaining patient data in clinical trials, said in a statement: 'Challenges are inevitable in clinical trials.
'To an outsider, these might appear as major setbacks, and occasionally they are. However, each challenge also presents a learning opportunity.
'In this instance, the significant issue of threads retracting doesn’t invalidate the trial; rather, it compels the Neuralink team to derive real lessons and address problems. Ultimately, the goal is to still come away with valuable scientific findings, all while avoiding excessive costs and delays that could jeopardize the trial.'
Before receiving Link, Arbaugh could only use a mouth-held tablet stylus to operate a tablet - and his caregiver had to place it in his mouth.
Arbaugh can move a cursor around the screen using the remote brain chip in his head. He enjoys playing Mario Kart (pictured) with friends
While this was his only form of communication, Arbaugh suffered discomfort, muscle fatigue and pressure sores from holding the stylus.
'The biggest thing with comfort is that I can lie in my bed and use [the Link],' Arbaugh shared in a message he typed on a computer with his mind.
'Any other assistive technology had to have someone else help or have me sit up.
'Sitting causes stress mentally and on my body which would give me pressure sores or spasms.
'It lets me live on my own time, not needing to have someone adjust me, etc. throughout the day.'
In just weeks after the surgery, Arbaugh was able to control his laptop using Link, which he did to play computer games with friends, , browse the internet, live stream and use other applications on his MacBook.
'[The Link] has helped me reconnect with the world, my friends, and my family,' he said.
'It's given me the ability to do things on my own again without needing my family at all hours of the day and night.'
Arbaugh spends the up to eight hours a day contributing to research, but spends more than 10 hours a day on weekends doing personal activities.
Neuralink said that he recently used the device for a total of 69 hours in a single week - 35 hours of structured sessions and an additional 34 hours of personal use.
The company did mentioned that some of the threads attached to the chip had retracted from the brain, but the Neuarlink team modified the recording algorithm to be more sensitive to neural population signals.
This resulted in 'improved the techniques to translate these signals into cursor movements, and enhanced the user interface.'
Nueralink said that it is now focusing on increasing cursor control performance to the same level as that of able-bodied individuals.
'In the future we intend to extend the Link's functionality to the physical world to enable control of robotic arms, wheelchairs, and other technologies that may help increase independence for people living with quadriplegia,' the company said.
Nueralink said that it is now focusing on increasing cursor control performance to the same level as that of able-bodied individuals
While Arbaugh's progress update is hopeful for those who are also paralyzed, the feat has not come without a cost.
DailyMail.com revealed in February that there was horrific animal testing being performed to bring Musk's brain chip project to life.
One week after the billionaire announced the first patient trial was underway, documents revealed that the company used 'Bioglue' to patch up holes in the monkeys' heads after operations.
The documents released from the University of Davis, California, which partnered with Neuralink in tests for three years from 2017 to 2020, show that monkeys had operations on their skulls up to 10 times each before being put down.
Surgeons drilled into their heads and implants were attached to their brains but they did not fit properly - meaning they protruded outside, the dossier reveals.
Death reports reveal that monkeys had parts of their limbs amputated and were put down after repeatedly vomiting and having episodes of diarrhea.
All told, Neuralink has killed at least 1,500 animals including sheep and pigs during its quest for a chip which will allow people to control electronic devices with their minds.
The documents were obtained by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a campaign group, which said that the monkeys endured 'extreme suffering' during a 'systematic disregard' for their lives.