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• Elon Musk's Neuralink has received approval for its first clinical trial in Canada, aiming to enable quadriplegics to control devices with their thoughts.
• The brain chip interface, already implanted in two US patients, could help disabled patients regain movement, communication abilities, and restore vision.
• The Canadian trial will test the safety and efficacy of the implant, which could allow patients to perform computer-related tasks just by thinking.
• Despite potential risks, Neuralink's technology represents a significant step forward in brain-computer interfaces, with immense potential benefits for individuals with neurological conditions.

In a groundbreaking development, Elon Musk's Neuralink has received approval to launch its first clinical trial in Canada. The brain chip startup aims to assess the safety and initial functionality of its implant, designed to enable individuals with quadriplegia to control external devices with their thoughts. The University Health Network hospital in Toronto has been selected to perform the complex neurosurgical procedure.

Neuralink, founded in 2016 by Musk and a group of engineers, is also developing a brain chip interface that can be implanted within the skull. The company believes this technology could eventually help disabled patients regain movement, communication abilities, and restore vision. In the United States, Neuralink has already implanted the device in two patients, with the device reportedly working well in the second trial patient, who has been using it to play video games and learn how to design 3D objects.

The Canadian trial will test the efficacy and safety of the implant, which is intended to enable quadriplegics to control digital devices with their minds. The device has the potential to not only allow patients to perform hand and feet movements like a normal person but also enable them to perform computer-related tasks just by thinking, eliminating the need to use their hands.

Neuralink's Progress and Potential

The FDA's breakthrough tag, given to certain medical devices that provide treatment or diagnosis of life-threatening conditions, has been awarded to Neuralink. This designation is aimed at speeding up the development and review of devices currently under development. Provided the visual cortex is intact, the device could even enable those who have been blind from birth to see for the first time.

The second trial participant, Alex, has been using the implant to play video games and design 3D objects. Before a spinal cord injury left him quadriplegic, Alex was an automotive technician skilled in designing tools, cars, and machinery. After his accident, he became an avid gamer, using a Quadstick, a mouth-operated joystick, to play games like Counter-Strike 2. Alex's reaction to his newfound capabilities has been overwhelmingly positive.

Neuralink has implemented several mitigations to reduce the probability of thread retraction in their second participant, including reducing brain motion during the surgery and reducing the gap between the implant and the surface of the brain. The company managed to restore the implant's function by making adjustments, including refining its algorithm to enhance sensitivity.

Challenges and Future Prospects

Despite the potential benefits, there are also risks associated with Neuralink's technology. These include brain injury or infection, and the potential for the technology to be used to address potential mental and cognitive processes linked with conditions such as obesity. However, every person who participates in a clinical trial understands these risks, and they take these risks, always with the expectation that it's a benefit for future generations that suffer from the condition that they live with.

The human brain is home to around 86 billion neurons, nerve cells connected to one another by synapses. Every time we want to move, feel or think, a tiny electrical impulse is generated and sent incredibly quickly from one neuron to another. Neuralink's technology aims to harness these impulses, translating them into actions such as opening an app, clicking, or moving a cursor up and down.

By monitoring brain activity, brain-computer interfaces can also detect changes that may indicate neurological conditions such as epilepsy, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease. As these devices record complex data sets, machine learning algorithms and other artificial intelligence agents are then employed to make sense of the information.