Elon Musk’s brain chip was implanted in 2 quadriplegic Canadian patients as part of the clinical trial

Two Canadian patients with spinal cord lesions received neural cerebral implants that allowed them to control a computer with their thoughts.

They are part of the first clinical trial outside the United States to test the safety and efficiency of the Elon Musk’s neuralink wireless brain, which he presented to the public in 2020, and was first implanted in an American paralyzed in 2024.

Canadian men, around 30 – one of Ontario, the other of Alberta – have a limited capacity or without using their hands.

Dr. Andres Lozano, a neurosurgeon from the University Health Network, who managed the Western hospital surgical team in Toronto, said patients could move a computer cursor almost immediately after surgery. They were both able to leave the hospital in the morning after their respective procedures on August 27 and September 3, he said.

The electrodes were located in the motor area of ​​the brain of each patient to exploit the signals of the neurons and translate these signals into actions on an external device, by jumping the need to move physically, explained Lozano.

“The first patient was able to control a cursor while simply thinking in a few minutes. He is extremely fast. The signals are decoded and the artificial intelligence reads the signals and then translates them into motion on the cursor,” he said.

“They think about it and it happens.”

Temperament expectations

The brain interface devices (BCI) are not exclusive to Neuralink, and other companies like New York Synchron, carry out their own clinical trials.

The promise of this technology is encouraging, but expectations should be tempered, said Barry Munro, director of development of the Canadian vertebral research organization.

Munro, who has been quadriplegic since a diving accident 38 years ago, said that he had devoted his life to research on spinal cord injuries and helped recruit the American trial of Neuralink.

The first person to receive the aircraft last year publicly said that she had started to get out of her brain for weeks after surgery, collecting her progress, but that he has been stabilized and that he was still worth it.

Munro says that he has witnessed “false hope” over and over again in this area and rather encourages “educated hope” – to learn and be excited without expecting an implant like this to be available in the next six months.

“We are not there yet, that’s all,” he said.

Look | Exploration of the functioning of Neuralink’s brain:

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The first human patient received an implant from Neuralink, Elon Musk’s computer interface company. Andrew Chang explores the complexity of the N1 implant, how it works in clinical trials and what Neuralink tries to do with the device.

The clinical trial assesses safety, quality of life

Canadian patients will be monitored for at least a year, the clinical research team authorized to register four other patients in the country who have been paralyzed by a spinal cord lesion, who have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (SLA).

The clinical trial team will assess if the technology is safe and if it adds value to the patient’s quality of life. The side effects they are looking for could include convulsions, infections or strokes.

In the coming weeks and months, patients will learn to type on a computer without touching a keyboard. Already, they are able to play video games.

“It’s really like a preliminary step to see if it should be put on the scale and deployed in a larger population”, Lozano
said.

“The device right now is a cursor, but in the future you can drive a car, you can drive your wheelchair, you can drive a robot.”