Elon Musk's neurotechnology startup Neuralink has said it has experienced a problem with its brain-computer interface that was surgically implanted into its first ever human patient earlier this year.
In March, Neuralink implanted its technology, which lets users control computer cursors with their minds, into the brain of 29-year-old Noland Arbaugh, who was paralyzed from the shoulders down in a driving accident in 2016.
Neuralink's N1 brain-computer interface uses 64 threads, that contain a combined sum of 1,024 electrodes, to pick up on neural activity in the brain and translate that information into cursor movements.
In a blog post, Neuralink has, however, said that "a number" of the 64 threads that connect the implant to Arbaugh's brain subsequently "retracted" in the weeks following the surgery, leading to a reduction in the amount of information it could pick up.
This led to a "net decrease in the number of effective electrodes" connected to Arbaugh's brain and reduced the "speed and accuracy" with which the former college athlete was able to control the cursor via Neuralink's interface.
In response, Neuralink modified its algorithm to increase its sensitivity and make it more responsive to the signals it was receiving, leading to "rapid and sustained improvements" in Noland's ability to use the cursor.
The Fremont, California company's brain computer interface has enabled Arbaugh to browse the internet and play various computer games, including online chess, Civilization VI, and Mario Kart, using only his brain. Arbaugh previously used a stylus held in his mouth.
Neuralink's blog post was posted online following an inquiry from the Wall Street Journal, the newspaper said. The Wall Street Journal reported the problems could have been caused by air trapped inside Arbaugh's brain, citing people familiar with the situation.
The startup, which was launched by Musk in 2016 having hired an array of high-profile neuroscientists, is now planning to install its N1 implant into the brains of 10 more patients this year, the Wall Street Journal said.
The company has also told the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that it believes it has a solution to the problems with Arbaugh's implant, the newspaper reported.
Neuralink and the U.S. FDA were approached by MarketWatch for comment.
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