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NEURALINK: A Brain-Machine Interface Device

Article in International Journal of Indian Psychology · May 2024

DOI: 10.25215/1202.189

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The International Journal of Indian Psychology
ISSN 2348-5396 (Online) | ISSN: 2349-3429 (Print)
Volume 12, Issue 2, April- June, 2024
DIP: 18.01.189.20241202, DOI: 10.25215/1202.189
https://www.ijip.in
Article

NEURALINK: A Brain-Machine Interface Device

Shreyasee Das1, Rahul Shil2*

ABSTRACT
One of the most mysterious biological structures in the natural world is the human brain.
Research indicates that advancements in neuroscience and related technology have elevated
clinical assessment, diagnostic, and treatment approaches. Nevertheless, there is still far too
much to learn about nervous system flaws and diseases. A brand-new breakthrough and
progress in the fields of neuroscience and neuro-engineering is being made by the
neurotechnology company Neuralink. The most likely goal is to create an implanted brain-
machine interface that will improve the quality of life for those suffering from severe spinal
cord and brain injuries, along with making a bridge between the human brain and artificial
technology. Although preliminary animal experiments showed encouraging results, the final
outcome of this technology could be seen within a few years. However, in order to conclude
the safety and viability of the neuralink device, further research studies are needed to move
beyond speculation.

Keywords: Neuralink, Brain-Machine Interface Device

N euralink is a chip designed to connect the brain with technology to allow humans to
wirelessly connect their brains with mobiles or any other device, as well as to find a
cure for the most challenging brain diseases, according to Elon Musk. One of the
ambitious plans was to implant the chip into the human brain, which was done on an
unidentified person. Furthermore, the scientists also aimed to help individuals with various
forms of physical disability and enable humans to connect their brains to machines and
achieve symbiosis with artificial intelligence.1 Helping people use their minds to control the
movements of an exoskeleton or other robotic devices is one possible advantage for the
medical field. Enabling a mindful connection between patients, re-establishing neural
connections destroyed in degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease, building
communication for individuals with conditions like locked-in syndrome, monitoring and
developing people's psychophysiological moods and cognitive capacities, as well as helping
to cure drug-resistant epilepsy and prevent seizures. Brain-machine interfaces have the
potential to help people with a wide range of clinical disorders. Researchers have used only
the maximum of 256 electrodes to demonstrate human neuroprosthetic control of robotic
limbs, voice synthesizers, and computer cursors. On average, millions of neurons can be
recorded through the skull using non-invasive methods. Due to the need for the most

1
Lecturer, Department of Nursing Sciences, VCON, Harsha Institutions, Bengaluru, India.
2
Associate Professor & Ph.D. Researcher, Department of MSN (Neuroscience), VCON, Harsha institutions.
Bengaluru, India.
*Corresponding Author
Received: March 12, 2024; Revision Received: May 20, 2024; Accepted: May 24, 2024
© 2024, Das, S.& Shil, R.; licensee IJIP. This is an Open Access Research distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution License (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any Medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
 NEURALINK: A Brain-Machine Interface Device

accurate readout of neuronal representations, the majority of brain-machine interfaces have

used invasive techniques. Recording single action potential from neurons in distributed
functionally linked ensembles.2 This neural link is built with arrays of small and flexible
electrode "threads,” with 3072 electrodes per array distributed around 96 threads.
Additionally, the scientists have developed a neurosurgery robot that can insert six threads,
or 192 electrodes, every minute. The ability of each thread to be individually inserted into
the brain with micron-level accuracy will allow the surface vasculature to avoid targeting a
particular area of the brain. Neuroscientific norms of neuron physiology provide the
foundation for neuralink's use. When enough depolarizing signals are received by neurons, it
increments the depolarizing threshold. They elicit the action potential that travels down their
axons and causes the release of neurotransmitters that either potentiate or inhibit further
signaling. Electrophysiological analysis of this process creates a spike pattern, which can be
observed using probes and microelectrode arrays. When exposed to trauma, the efficiency of
depolarization can be altered either in frequency, amplitude, or both. Restoration to other
areas and structures of the body is far more effective than that of the neurons. Neuronal
regeneration has many in vivo processes that are localized to the olfactory sensory system,
the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, and the forebrain subventricular zone. The possibility
of regenerating the function of neurons in the peripheral nervous system has improved due
to the utilization of surgical procedures such as autografts to enhance functional results.
Restoration of functions using BMIs is an aim that is shared not only by neuralink but also
by technologies beforehand. Prior to it, the mainstay therapy for movement disorders was
DBS. On the basis of the DBS approach, neuralink differ in two major ways: The neuralink
neuroprosthetic fiber design offers flexible, thin probes with an abundance of electrodes
embedded into the fiber themselves, creating increased biocompatibility in living tissue.3

Fig: Neuralink Chip

NEURALINK IMPLANTATION
Thin-film polymers have previously been used for the electrode probes, but their low
bending stiffness complicates insertions. Robotic insertion has been developed by neuralink
approaching for the insertion of flexible probes, allowing rapid and reliable insertion of the
large number of polymer probes targeting to avoid vasculature and record from dispersed
brain regions. The robot's insertion head is mounted on a globally accurate 400*400*150
mm travel, 10 µm three-axis tag, and holds a small, quick swappable “needle pincher”
assembly. The robot mainly features an auto-insertion mode, which can insert itself into up
to six threads. The entire insertion process can be automated, but the surgeon still has
complete control and the option to make changes if needed to prevent minute vasculatures
on the cortical surface from slowing down the entire insertion time at its quickest rate. Even
© The International Journal of Indian Psychology, ISSN 2348-5396 (e)| ISSN: 2349-3429 (p) | 2202
 NEURALINK: A Brain-Machine Interface Device

with these adjustments, the total insertion time for this study averaged approximately 45
minutes for an approximate insertion rate of 29.6 electrodes per minute.3-5

Fig: Neuralink surgical robot

RECENT UPDATES
On January 29, 2024, it was announced by Elon Musk that the implantation of neuralink into
the human brain as a brain-computer interface will play a vital role in the advancement of
neuroscience and neurobiology. This week, Musk said on space that the person on whom
this first trial was made is reluctantly in a full recovery zone with no ill effects and is also
able to move a mouse around the screen by just thinking 5. While the human implantation
was done and recruitment was going on for a large sample clinical trial, the scientists
discovered that this device has potential in the treatment of Parkinson disease.6

CONCLUSION
It is too soon to say whether or not neuralink will be effective in treating neurological
disorders or not. However, this device can be a lead for science to do more research on the
brain. There were some controversies arising regarding the animal experimentation, but the
report says that there were no deaths of any animals during the trial. Moreover, if this neural
link gets a success, then it can bring a huge advancement in the fields of neurobiology and
neuroscience. It will raise the potential in neuroamplification and also the treatment
modalities, which will give rise to hopeful advancements in improving the lives of people
with spinal cord injury, neurodegenerative disorders, and neurobiological shortfalls across
the world. To date, only some assumptions can be made regarding the safety and efficacy of
the device. The whole process requires further investigation and study. Additionally, these
clinical trials, which are being made now where man can control the mouse, can bring a
great advancement in this perspective. Additionally, the exact prediction of the future of
neuralink can only be made after the release of the trial data.

REFERENCES
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and Future Directions of Neuralink: The Brain-Machine Interface. Cureus. Published
online March 30, 2021. doi:10.7759/cureus.14192
2. Musk E. An Integrated Brain-Machine Interface Platform with Thousands of
Channels. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2019;21(10): e16194. doi:10.2196/
16194

© The International Journal of Indian Psychology, ISSN 2348-5396 (e)| ISSN: 2349-3429 (p) | 2203
 NEURALINK: A Brain-Machine Interface Device

3. Rapeaux A, Constandinou TG. Implantable brain machine interfaces: first-in-human

studies, technology challenges and trends. Current Opinion in Biotechnology.
doi:10.1016/j.copbio.2021.10.001
4. Neuralink. Wikipedia. Published March 12, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neura
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5. Neuralink’s First human patient able to control mouse through thinking. Published
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euralinks-first-human-patient-able-control-mouse-through-thinking-musk-says-2024-
02-20/
6. Hamilton IA. Everything you need to know about Neuralink, Elon Musk’s company
that wants to put microchips in people’s brai. Business Insider. Published February
26,2021. https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/everything-you-need-to-know-abo
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brains/slidelist/81233667.cms#slideid=81233988

Acknowledgment
The author(s) appreciates all those who participated in the study and helped to facilitate the
research process.

Conflict of Interest
The author(s) declared no conflict of interest.

How to cite this article: Das, S.& Shil, R. (2024). NEURALINK: A Brain-Machine Interface
Device. International Journal of Indian Psychology, 12(2), 2201-2204. DIP:18.01.189.2024
1202, DOI:10.25215/1202.189

© The International Journal of Indian Psychology, ISSN 2348-5396 (e)| ISSN: 2349-3429 (p) | 2204

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